Alley Of Books

In Which I Rant About Things That Bother Me And...

2011-06-21T01:00:00.000-04:00

...Things I Have A Problem With:

Writing is book is no easy task. Sure you may have the plot figured all out, know every single minuscule details of your characters life in your head - how they look, talk, live, die, etc.- know what arc to give them to bring their story to life on the page, how to hook your reader with exactly what they expect or don't expect. None of this matters if you can't put these things onto paper (virtual or real) and create a story. A voice compelling enough for a person to pick up a book and read it. Then comes the task of finishing a draft. Polishing it until your wrists are complaining of falling off and you're at risk for carpal tunnel. Then comes more intense revisions. Then comes the process of finding the courage to find someone who will love your baby as much as you do: understand it, love it, and do their best to do right by you and your story. That's not a easy task. Rejections are hard to stomach for anyone. The best of people sometimes don't do well and take it as a personal failure and give up however most are resilient as they bounce back and work their asses off to fix it even more and try once again to find someone else. Then when they DO find that right person, you have to find a whole another group of people (publisher/publishing company/house) that agrees with you both and is as excited to bring your baby to the general populous known as the world. Not such an easy task after all. Working through more hoops after finalizing that process (a long one at that- generally known to last anywhere between 14 to 24 months) and anxiously waiting for the rest of the world to read your work and then judge it. Critique it. Comment on it. *gulp* SO. Not. An. Easy. Task. (Think about that research paper draft that came back marked in red all over).

So, when you read someone's book and decide to review it, please keep these things in your mind. From one reader to another, this is what I believe is key in not just your professional opinion but as a person as well.

BE CONSIDERATE. Please.

If you don't like the book, okay, no harm done. Why bash it? Learn to look at the good things and the bad ones. If there aren't any good things, just say that and shut up. Is it always necessary to itemize the bad things and write paragraphs upon paragraphs about them? Isn't that a tad bit juvenile? Thought we left that side of ourselves back in middle school. Sure you have devoted two, or three or maybe even 5 hours to the task but I'm sure you took away SOMETHING from it. Perhaps that that kind of book is NOT YOUR CUP OF TEA. It didn't sit well with you, doesn't mean it won't with others. This bothers me most when something bad you say about a book turns other people off from even picking it up. Comments like, "You didn't like this? Oh, that means I won't either', 'Not going to bother reading this then', 'Thanks for saving me my time'. You know what all of those sound like to me? Just sad pathetic excuses and cop-outs. This enrages me SO SO SO MUCH that I want to bang my head against the wall until there is nothing left of it. Your words have the power to take away someone's choice of reading that book and judging it FOR THEMSELVES. It could be something that's totally up their alley but nope, you've just saved them 5 hours on something they could have enjoyed or maybe even loved. A leisurely read that could have taken their minds off everything else and just transported them to another reality. Or an epic read that could have just for a few hours taken them away from all of their real life issues.

Pinch yourself. Yeah, you felt that? You're human. Think about the author. When they pinch themselves, they feel what you felt too when you pinched yourself. I'm sure they feel the same emotions that you do. The author is a human being as well. Something to consider.

So, next time you use your words to describe what you thought of another's words, think about the effect YOUR words will have. Think before you discards someone's words as paltry and not worth someone's time. Think twice before you put someone off of a book they could want on their shelf. Think about the fact that you're taking that choice away from them and what would you do if someone took that choice away from you. Just think.

Until next time,

2010 Books That I Loved An Ungodly Amount - Part 1

2011-05-16T01:40:00.000-04:00

(Since we've establishes the fact that I'm sort of an asshat -thank you, John Green for bringing this term to my vocabulary-when it comes to posting reviews I thought these were some titles that deserved to be written about as I loved them more than mere words can convey. I thought now would be as good a time as any to write a series of posts about them! Note: I have a 15 page paper due Tuesday has not seen the light of day yet- that's how much I loved these books).

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins

My only qualm: I'm not so hot on the cover.

Tall American girl. Short hot Parisian (English +American - imagine that accent!) guy. Boarding school. Paris. Hello, perfection. Loved, loved, LOVED Stephanie Perkins' debut with an ungodly amount of passion. Read an ARC that I had gotten at ALA and reached the last 50 pages to realize that it was misprinted and the 30 pages were reprinted from the previous chapter. Made Zoe from Zoe's Book Reviews read them over the phone/Skype screenshot them for me. That is how much I love this book. Made my local library order it. Made at least 5 people but it at Strand/Borders/B&N. My mission in life: to make everyone read this book. For me personally, St. Clair is perfect. Except he could use a few inches in the height department. Perkins' prose is smart, witty, and charming and resonates teenage-ness. Throw in adventures in Paris, classic American films, and the tension between St. Clair and Anna, and you've got yourself a hit YA contemporary on your hands! Cannot wait for the companion, LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR. This fantastic debut makes Stephanie Perkins one debut author to look out for!

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour - Morgan Matson

I am a little in love with this cover.

Amy. Roger. One car. California to Philadelphia. Can you spell R-O-A-D T-R-I-P? Amy's mom has set out an itinerary for her to follow on her drive from Cali to PA, so she get there on time, along the way checking in and out of hotels her mom has booked for her and such. But everyone knows that well laid plans always go awry. Amy decides to throw caution to the wind and heads to Yellowstone National Park with Roger to relive some memories from of visiting with her dad as a child, stops by university where Roger goes to school (read to find out why!) and visits many other amazing landmarks in the US. Somewhere along her way, Amy and Roger become more than just travel companions, realize that there are sparks flying, and that they complement each other perfectly. There is not much I can say that will explicitly articulate how much I love this book. Except for the fact that it made it into this post and this list. Loved how Morgan Matson saved every single In N Out, motel and diner receipts, documenting her own experience driving from the West coast to the East coast and it all culminated into this masterpiece. Cannot wait for her next title!

The Sky Is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson

The UK version of this book is
supposedly fantabulous!
I am getting a copy.

To say this book was amazing is an understatement. I don't think they have the right words in the dictionary to describe this book to a T. This book made me cry, laugh, curse, want to throw it against the wall, and just about every other emotion you can think of. It was an emotionally wringing, heartbreaking gut-wrencher. Lennie, our protagonist, has always lived in the shadow of her sister, Bailey, who dies and all of a sudden leaves Lennie without an achor to hold on to/look up to. Always shy, in the background Lennie is now in the spotlight when Joe, the new guy who just transferred from Paris appears on the scene and Toby, Bailey's boyfriend is paying more attention to her than she is comfortable with. You know there are some books you read and love them and you just... love them. They are there but not really. But then there are those that you LOVE, and you carry them with you wherever you go? The Sky Is Everywhere falls into the latter category. Nelson's writing is just gorgeous, melodic, and to-die for. I don't think I've ever loved an author's prose, or writing style as much as I love Jandy Nelson's. Lennie's story is not just another coming of age contemporary books. It's an honest, unforgettable, true rendition of a teenager's struggle to come to terms with the death of a beloved sibling and celebration of love at the same time. Only Nelson knows how she managed to intertwine the two and still make it a debut that will not be forgotten for a long, long time. Her next is currently titled The History of Luck, and I for one am counting down the days!

Fixing Delilah - Sarah Ockler

I love this cover way more than the original cover.
I guess this reflects the book more aptly.

To the lady who made me cry in public with her very first book- Twenty Boy Summer- I only I have one thing to say: Little Ricky and Patrick are both mine. I will fight anyone who tried to lay a claim on him. Read this book on a family road trip to Toronto last summer, and I was crying the whole way and everybody kept passing me tissues and concerned looks but let me be and I am so thankful for that because this book hit an emotional button for me personally. Not that my story resembled that of Delilah Hannaford and her family in any way but I personally identified with some of her issues and let's just say that Sarah Ockler can make me cry very loudly and obnoxiously in public and that is a not so good thing but a very good accomplishment for her as writer. Fixing Delilah is story of a family of three generation of women, and their complex relationship, over a summer full of surprising romance, new friendships and old secrets. Ockler delivers a powerful tale of mother-daughter bonds, family ties, and love in this fantastic follow up! I cannot wait for her what she's got up her sleeve next!

Not That Kind Of Girl - Siobhan Vivian

I've never given it much thought.
But Connor, mmm!

Siobhan. Vivian. 'Nuff said. I don't even know where to begin. So, a good place to start would be to pose a very important question. Do you guys know who her editor is? (Yhe correct answer would be yes, but for those of you who may not read the acknowledgements) David. Freaking. Levithan. You can't go wrong with him on your side. No, seriously. I've read (multiple times) and loved her previous two works- A Little Friendly Advice and Same Difference. She writes with this clear intensity that positively reflects the teenage experience with such clarity that leaves one with mouth gaping, jaw dropping expression. Not That Kind of Girl follows in the same vein. Natalie - brought up by two academics - wants only one thing of high school. She wants her life to be in her control. She wants to be student body president, find the one decent guy, be liked by everyone, and generally a good reputation because she believes that it will lead to good things. But, as we all learn at one time or another, we very rarely have control over what happens in life. Unpredictable is life's middle name. And we should have learnt that lesson in 8th grade. However, Natalie soon realizes how things can change without a moment's notice. Old friends can change, people you thought were one way are in actuality, another, and you yourself can undergo a transformation. NTKoG is a story of a girl who always perceived herself to be one way and finds a different side of herself - one that she is not so comfortable with at first, but ends up realizing that we are never truly one person all the time. We are constantly changing based on what we experience, and learn. Loved this book with an intensity even I cannot put into words. Vivian's next book is titled The List and I honestly am ready to raid her house/steal her computer for it! Watch your back, Siobhan!

Website: Stephanie Perkins | Morgan Matson | Jandy Nelson | Sarah Ockler | Siobhan Vivian

Until next time,

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti Guest Post + Giveaway (Blog Tour)

2011-05-02T05:50:00.003-04:00

Hi all,

I'm so stoked that Susane's stopping by today to talk about So Much Closer and some of the places that are mentioned in the book! We kick off today with yours truly and one of the best locations (in my opinion!). Many thanks to Susane for thinking of me for this tour! I truly enjoyed So Much Closer. Look out for a review next week. As you all know, Susane's always played a huge role in motivating me to start this blog and from there just a fantastic person who I look up to. I'm glad I had this opportunity to host her! So Much Closer is out this week, so stop by your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy or get it for your e-reader! (Links below)

Without further ado, here's Susane.

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Greetings, friendly neighbors! I’m stoked to share some of the inspiration for my fifth book, So Much Closer.

Realistic fiction is my thing. I like incorporating details inspired by my own experiences to make my books feel as realistic as possible. So Much Closer takes place in my neighborhood, the West Village. I had lots of fun including my fave New York City places and things in this book. For my blog tour, we thought it would be fun to share some of them with you. So here we go!

1. The High Line

When I moved to New York 15 years ago, I heard about these old elevated train tracks. No one used them anymore. They were just sitting there getting rusty. But word on the street was that they were going to be renovated into a green space.

I was psyched. That sounded like the coolest idea ever.

And then…nothing happened for a long time. Years passed. I kept hearing rumors about the renovations. No one really knew what was going on. Finally, the High Line opened in June 2009. I was beyond ecstatic. It was everything I imagined and more. You can still see the old train tracks (which I adore – I have a thing for train tracks) with flowers and tall grasses and trees growing all around. It’s such a unique place. The whole park feels like this Zen retreat where you can chill with friends and have an excellent view of the sunset.

When I visited the High Line for the first time, I just stood there gawking at this upscale apartment building that’s like right there. I looked up at the high windows overlooking everything and imagined how awesome the view must be. That’s when I knew I had to include the High Line in my next book. The photo shoot for the cover even took place there. You can check out some behind-the-scenes cover design stuff here: http://windowlight.livejournal.com/146023.html

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Thanks so much for that Susane! Y'all should check out the post. There's images from the actual photo shoot and the cover artist talks about how the cover eveolved from multiple images and ideas that they had come up with! It's super interesting - so go check that out!

GIVEAWAY: 1 SIGNED copy of So Much Closer is up for grabs! You simply have to leave a comment and tell me that ONE place in NYC that you'd like to visit and why. The giveaway ends on May 15th at 11:59pm P.S.T.

Also check out:
Susane's website and Twitter
Q& A and excerpt from So Much Closer

Trailer

Until next time,

Where She Went by Gayle Forman (Review)

2011-03-31T00:00:00.002-04:00

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

From the jacket flap:

(Taken from Gayle Forman's website)

My first impulse is not to grab her or kiss her or yell at her. I simply want to touch her cheek, still flushed from the night’s performance. I want to cut through the space that separates us, measured in feet—not miles, not continents, not years—and to take a callused finger to her face. I want to touch her to make sure it’s really her, not one of those dreams I had so often after she left when I’d see her so clear as day, be ready to kiss her or take her to me only to wake up with Mia just beyond reach.

But I can’t touch her. This is a privilege that’s been revoked.

It’s been three years since Adam’s love saved Mia after the accident that annihilated life as she knew it . . . and three years

since Mia walked out of Adam’s life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard’s rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star

status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia’s home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts

to the future—and each other.

Told from Adam’s point of view in the spare, powerful prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the

flame of rekindled romance.

FUN FACT: From the minute I found out there was to be a sequel to If I Stay, I was haunted by dreams of it. Well, no, I’m not serious. But it was #1 on my books that I’d do anything to get my hands on. Humiliate myself, do things that could get me into trouble with anyone, or whatever, I was down for it. As long as in the end, the reward was a copy of Where She Went.

To find the words to talk about Where She Went coherently – without the use of words like, ‘OMG’ and incessant gushing – would be like digging through my Broca’s area (the part of the brain that processes speech and language) and trying to find the words that could do justice to this brilliant sequel to If I Stay. Many have argued that If I Stay ended in a good place and there was really no need for a sequel and to those people, I only have one thing to say: What about Adam’s side of the story? Yes, we all loved Mia and cheered for her while she stumbled over each obstacle set in her path, but did we once stop to think about what Adam was going through? About how what Mia was going through was killing him inside out? I guess you can allude that to Ms. Forman’s skill as a writer that made us completely disregard Adam’s plight. Nonetheless, it was there. It was there through all of If I Stay and you can see it leap off of every single page of Where She Went. When you suffer a tragedy, one often asks the question: Why? One looks for an explanation that can make some sense of what happened, but rarely is there a black and white answer to be found. Well, Mia is Adam’s tragedy. And Where SheWent does a fantastic job of bringing to light the effect of and the aftermath of the accident on Adam.

As always Ms. Forman’s hauntingly beautiful prose captures the reader’s heart and soul and makes it a visceral experience. I could wax poetic about the plot or summarize the book or the events that take place but instead I’m just going to tell you some of my favorite things about the book that hopefully you may relate to as well.

It’s set in New York City. (Mia @ Juilliard. Adam, for music label business). You can’t go wrong with that setting. Ever. Ms. Forman, in one night, manages to create a vivid panoramic view of the city that never sleeps. Literally.
Ms. Forman makes Mia & Adam yell out in fury, and anger, and agony, and makes them cry in the middle of the night (or really early morning) on the Brooklyn Bridge. (Who does that?)
This time, both Adam and Mia are on an equal footing. They’re both popular in their own right. Sure, Adam maybe more popular because of his rock band but Mia is well known in the classical circle as well. (She plays at Carnegie Hall at the age of 20—major accomplishment).
When Adam goes to see Mia’s concert in casual clothing (and all the other people are dressed up – coz you dress up when you go to a classical concert or Broadway show) and he feels like a fly on the wall, I love his accounting of the concert and how at the end that one bit he says, gets to me. Every. Single. Time. “Tonight I won’t kiss her. Or touch her. Or even see her up close. Tonight I’ll listen. And that’ll be enough”.
Ms. Forman really gets inside Adam’s head and one can’t help but see that Mia may have been physically hurt, but it was Adam who suffered the worst kind of mental trauma.
(SPOILER) The scene where they have a mini concert all by themselves in Mia’s apartment. I could just imagine it in my head. (That is one scene I want to see brought to life, by the way).
Every chapter has lyrics from songs in the album “Collateral Damage” by Shooting Star (Adam’s band). Both fictitious. By the time the book ends, you want them to be real. You want to find a record label that will sign them and produce those songs. Well, I wanted that to happen.
It’s Adam.
It’s Mia.
It’s Gayle Forman.
I don’t think there’s anything left to say. WHAT MORE REASONS COULD YOU WANT TO READ THIS BOOK?

Where She Went is an accumulation of heartbreak, anxiety, first loves, broken loves, and a story of second chances, deserved or undeserved- that is dependent on the reader. Yes, some of you won’t like the choices Adam and Mia make to get to where they do at the end of the book (don’t want to spoil it) but I think once you’ve read it and had time to process it, it should make perfect sense.

(Care to guess where this is?)

Times I’ve read Where She Went: 4 times (hardcopy). 3 times (Audiobook). Waiting for NookBook to show up on April 5^th @midnight.

I should also mention that when friends tell me they haven’t read If I Stay, I kind of go all, ahem, nutso (okay not really) on them and MAKE them read it. It is my life’s mission to have every single person I know read that book. I *need* them to, or I won’t be able to sleep in peace. I’ve been told I can be quite intimidating when it comes to If I Stay and now Where She Went. Honestly though, (I swear!) I am not trying to be scary or rude or whatever, I just want people to read a great book and enjoy it for their own sake. They just don’t know what they’re missing out on.

What I Was Listening To While Writing This Review:

Where She Went audiobook read by Dan Bittner (Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommended. He’s the Adam in your head). I know what you’re thinking right this second: “Obsessed much, Mitali?”

Yes, I completely am. I am in love with this book and the author. Every time someone asks me who my favorite author is, I give a vague response or just say J. K. Rowling, coz you can never go wrong with that. However, now, I have taken to responding to that question with: Gayle Forman.

Find Gayle Forman on: Twitter/Website/Blog

Available wherever books are sold April 5th!

Until next time,

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

2011-03-30T17:05:00.002-04:00

Who is Mara Dyer?

I honestly cannot wait for this book!

50 Books I'm Ready To Die For - 2011 Edition (Part 1)

2011-03-28T00:00:00.007-04:00

In no (kind of) particular order:

(Note: Most books listed are releasing after April 1st. Pre-April 1st are marked with an *)

(There's a pretty cool slideshow at the end. It took me 2 hours to make. Please take a gander?)

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan photographs by Jonathan Farmer

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Wither by Lauren DeStefano*

Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers

The Lucky Kind by Alyssa Sheinmel

Delirium by Lauren Oliver*

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

Circle Nine by Anne Heltzel

My Life, the Theater, and Other Tragedies by Allen Zadoff

Frost by Marianna Baer

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibensky

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Shutout by Kody Keplinger

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt*

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend by Gary Ghislain

Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

Tirs & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison

Pearl by Jo Knowles

Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink

Brother/Sister by Sean Olin

Displacement by Thalia Chaltas

I Know It's Over by C.K. Kelly Martin

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott

Okay fine, ONE MORE.

51.Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

ADD TO EDIT: #47- MY BEATING TEENAGE HEART by C. K. Kelly Martin (Thank you for pointing that out, James!)

And before this list goes any further I'm going to stop right there! I'll do another one soon. In the meantime, sound off in the comments! Were any of these book son your to-read lists? Any new finds? What else are you looking forward to? I want to know!

Here's the slideshow:

(This picture slideshow made with Smilebox)

Until next time,

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

2011-03-04T01:14:00.008-05:00

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books

Release date: March 1st, 2011

Ever pick up a book in a kind of okay mood and really hope that it cheers you up, makes you laugh out loud, make your day -maybe even your weekend, or week, or MONTH!- just make you generally want to put aside everything and have no care for anything while you're reading it? Well, Sean Griswold's Head was all that and much more. I'd heard from other people on Twitter, while they were in various stages of the book, of loving it for many different reasons. I for once, after having read it completely concur!

I loved, loved, loved, LOVED SGH! Right off the bat, you can tell that the protagonist , 15-yr old Payton Gritas' voice is simply put - authentic. One can just feel her energy jump off the page and bounce off you. She's your average high school freshman, dedicated student, with quintessential characteristics that a high school freshman has. With her best friend/sidekick Jac, they're ready to tackle the new year, micro-manage every last detail (trust me, Payton could put the best of us to shame with her crazy organization skills and her Executive Deluxe day planner!) and just so darn cute. You can see the subtle undertones of the something lying just under the visible lines. Leavitt goes right into it and somehow manages to change her prose from humoristic to heavy in seconds - kind of like a car going from 0 to 60mph in 5 seconds (which is maybe impossible? There's a reason, I don't drive.).

In a nutshell, Sean Griswold's Head is story of a 15yr-old's struggle to deal with her father MS, getting through therapy with an orange-loving counselor (Payton hates the color orange), and trying to look over Sean Griswold's big head that is always in her way. Somewhere along the way trying to survive this all, Payton gets to know Sean, deal with her father's illness and learns an important lesson- why waste time thinking about something that could happen in the future when you have the now and the power and ability to live it to the fullest with the ones you love. It's about not having regrets.

Sean Griswold's Head is a story about a girl who falls for a guy she's known all her life (well he sits in front of her - alphabetical order and all that!) - well she's known his head rather. It is the story of a girl who finally opens her eyes and 'sees' what's staring her right in the face - once again Sean's big head. It's the story of a girl who realizes what it feels like when you're the last one to be let in on something life threatening. But more importantly, it's about figuring out the little things, like 'how can you go so long knowing someone without really knowing them at all?'

With the help of Jac (who at times REALLY got on my nerves, but when you put it in the context of a 15yr-old freshman - man, do you get some crazy flashbacks! Trust me, the kind you don't want to remember), Trent- her heterosexual straight brother, Sean, Mrs. Callahan (orange-loving counselor), and her Focus Journal/Object, Payton arrives to a place where she realizes what potential she has and how lucky she is to have the ones she loves around her. In short, Sean Griswold' Head is a poignant story of a 15 yr-olds search for some semblance of normalcy while growing up and facing the questions, decisions and responsibilities that go along with maturation.

Leavitt delivers a fantastic novel that will make readers cry, groan, and laugh until they drop. You won't want to miss this one folks! It's really that good. I hated putting it down even to take a quick snack break!

Some miscellaneous SGH love:

Favorite lines:

Pg 33: "Accents aren't contagious".

Pg 120: "Land of Like"

Pg 238: "So accents are contagious". "Highly".

Without giving much away, all I'd like to mention is that I LOVED pg 166 and did NOT like pg 206 at all (if you're one of those people as well, please mention that in the comments, we can discuss this further!). Also, I really love the cover. Love the font, the green and the pinks and just the general composition of the cover!

Here are some pictures from my GoodReads stream, some thoughts on the book I posted while reading it.

Some places you can find Lindsey or buy the book!

Lindsey Leavitt: Website/Twitter

Sean Griswold's Head: IndieBound/Borders/B&N

Sound off in the comments, guys!

Until next time,

FTC, FYI, I didn't steal this book from the publisher even though I really wanted to. I asked for it. Nicely.

Across The Universe Launch

2011-01-11T11:11:00.003-05:00

Across The Universe by Beth Revis

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

It's Beth's release day and you can visit the newly launched Across The Universe wesbite and explore!

You can become a fan on Facebook and follow Beth on Twitter. Or follow her blog.
You can check out Beth's author video here!
Check out this special video that Penguin shot with Beth explaining some very cool things from the book!

Follow Penguin Teen on Twitter, Facebook or their website for more cool books and giveaways!

Check out Jeremy - who made the fabulous header- blog Novel Thoughts!

Until next time,

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (10/19/10)

2010-10-19T19:14:00.014-04:00

I find it hard to write lately. Its become quit a bit of a chore just sitting down and writing a review. So, I've been doing what I do best - spread the word by word of mouth, hand sell or recommend it to librarians that I know. In the last few months I have read many fantastic books, and I wish I had the time to write a review for every single one of them but unfortunately college, transfer applications, work and just having a life to deal with have gotten in the way. But I'm going to try my best to slowly get into blogging again. Hopefully.

So, today I am going to talk about Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (October 10, Philomel).

There's THREE things you need to know about this book.

1) I loved this book.

2) I LOVED this book.

3) No, I REALLY loved this book.,

I cannot... CANNOT stress how much I loved this book! I enjoyed every single page of it. Nightshade is a mixture of pure 452 ages of history, kick-ass female protagonist with a sharp wit, keen sense of loyalty, two REALLY hot guys, LATIN (hello, I LOVE Latin), and just plain old awesomeness. I guess the history part of it can be accredited to Ms. Cremer's background as a history professor, but the writing was just so beautiful, I can't stop gushing about it.

Things I never do with books:

1) Write in/highlight them.

2) Dog-ear them.

3) Read them atleast 4 times before they come out.

4) Email the the author 40 times in a span of 4 hours (Midnight -4am).

5) Carry it around everywhere. LITERALLY.

Things I did with Nightshade:

1) I highlighted almost every other line.

2) I folded pages to mark the spots that made me cry, or scream or just in general evoked a powerful emotion.

3) I read it 6 times by my last count. (May-October 2010).

4) I did email Andrea about every single chapter starting with Chapter 6.

5) I took the book with me to Washington, Boston and Pennsylvania.

I have literally surpassed my own records with previous books that I loved. Nightshade was just this complete mix of beautiful language and alluring history that made you want to put the book aside and go look up the references mentioned about all the different historical figures/books, etc. (which I also did). There are no words that can aptly describe how much I enjoyed Nightshade. Every page was like a masterpiece. Every line was worth quoting. Every word was worth memorizing.

Nightshade created a world so powerful and beautiful and just so attention-grabbing you did not want to leave it. If I had to pick between Calla, Ren and Shay, I would pick Ansel. :)

So, what CAN I say about this book?

1) It is a definite roller-coaster ride you want to experience.

2) It's a whole new take on werewolves. (I'm not a huge fan of them. Which says A LOT about why I liked this book. It was different than the usual stuff).

3) It's a guarantee that you'll be either Team Ren or Team Shay by then end- its just THAT good. Unless you're me and have developed a REALLY good immune system to resist all the HOT YA boys. ;)

4) You'll end the book wanting more of Andrea's writing and Nightshade world.

5) You'll go insane waiting for Summer '11 for Wolfsbane. (I know, I already am!)

Go see my special video for Andrea on her release day (today) here!

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!!!!!!! <3

You can find Andrea here and more about the Nightshade series here. Visit her and let her know hwat you thought of the book! And leave me a comment too!

Until next time,

My Two Cents on Reading Slumps + Something Else

2010-07-21T14:03:00.003-04:00

My Two Cents on Reading Slumps + Something Else

When you read as much as I do, what is the worst that could happen to you?

A reading slump.

What, you may ask, is a reading slump

From Alley of Book’s Dictionary:

Reading Slump: A period when no book, of any genre, seems appealing enough to read. When one knows that picking up a book will only end with reader hating the book for no rhyme or reason.

I would like to say that I tried beating the slump again and again and again. In the end I failed. For the past three weeks, I have tried to pick up various books gotten 40 pages into it and given up for numerous reasons. Annoying mc, disgusting setting, scenario is implausible. You name it. When I reached the 8^th book, I realized I had to stop or the poor books would start hating me. (Yes, I think that books are human beings and have feelings. Yes, that sounds insane. I know.)

I could feel them starting to look at me with sad little eyes and implore me to stop. I gave up. I tried to read other genres. Same result. I had many friends suggest books- books that they’d recently read and LOVED and they kept badgering me to read it. But honestly, I knew the minute I started reading it I would hate it. So for now, I’ve decided to catch up on reviews and stop reading anything new. This should help me catch up to everyone else.

I also would like to add that I sympathize with every writer out there who has ever experienced writer’s block. If it’s anything like the slump I’m in, I feel your pain. It is killing me inside that I am in such a position where I want to read a book but nothing is working for me. Until I find that phenomenally mind-blowing book I am going to be stuck in this rut. I just hope it ends sometime soon.

But, I also decided to write this post and at the end of my brainstorming session I ended up asking myself the question a lot of us (bloggers), authors, and other kidlit-ish people have been asking.

Why do I read YA?

Here’s a little conversation I had with myself following the moment said question popped up in my head. (Please don't judge)

Me: Why do I read YA? Hmm, why DO I read YA?

Me: Well, the very obvious answer would be because I am a teen.

“Not for too long though”. A little voice in my head added.

Me: (Freaks out) Umm.

Me: (Chews on lip) Besides that.

Me: Well, you read because-

Don’t you mean I. You’re talking about yourself to yourself. You’re weird.

Me: So are you.

Mom: Are you talking to someone?

Me: Yeah. Myself.

Don’t forget me!

Me: And the voice in my head.

Mom gave me the I-can’t-believe-this-child-is-mine look.

Me: I read YA because? I read YA because it makes me feel alive.

Cliché much?

Me: Well, I do!

After much pondering I came up with a few that sounded incredibly lame. So this is what I will be doing this week. I am going to think about why I read YA and what is it that is so addicting about it.

Have you written a similar post? Had a similar conversation with yourself? Tell me! I am open to all of your suggestions! I need to be out of this reading slump yesterday!

I will be back when I have thought of at least 5 reasons why I read YA!

Until next time,

Tell Me Secret by Holly Cupala (Review)

2010-06-20T03:15:00.000-04:00

Tell Me Secret by Holly Cupala

Synopsis:

Tell me a secret, and I'll tell you one...

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.

Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

In this powerful debut novel, stunning new talent Holly Cupala illuminates the dark struggle of a girl who must let go of her past to find a way into her future.

Review:

Where to start. TMAS is a fresh new

Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala

2010-06-18T01:33:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone!

Today I have the distinct pleasure of bringing to you a fabulous debut book by Holly Cupala - Tell Me A Secret. It is no secret how much I love contemporary fiction and TMAS makes my top favorites

for this year!

Watch out for my review on Sunday with a special video for Holly!

Watch the video's from Holly as a part of her Blog Tour!

I love this video. I'm envious of the artwork in Holly's house! I loves the coasters she made! And the tree she with her daughter!

This video of Holly reading from her book is really cool! Check back for my review because this is one book you DON'T want to miss out on!

Here's a sneak peak of what I thought while I was reading it!

She mentioned this picture on her wesbite here

Time for a CONTEST! I have four one-of-a-kind Tell Me A Secret two-chapter samplers to give away.

Leave a comment on this post by June 25th at 11:59pm EST to be entered. I'll pick winners randomly and you'll be notified via email. Please leave your email address in your comment so I have a way to contact you. Good luck to y'all!

Be sure to check out Monday, June 21^st tour stop on the Tell Me A Secret Virtual Tour, which is at Melissa Walker – a cover story!

Holly's giving away tons of prizes on her site throughout the tour, go check it out here!

Until next time,

Happy Release Day!

2010-06-10T08:22:00.001-04:00

HAPY RELEASE DAY TENNERS!!!!

I would imagine its a joyous day for The Tenners. Three of their own have books coming out today!

Emily Horner with A Love Story: starring My Dead Best Friend (Dial)

Suzanne Young with So Many Boys (Razorbill)

and

HEIDI R. KLING with SEA! (Putnam)

Happy Release Day to all three of them and here's a little video that we made for Heidi's release day since we love Sea so much! :)

Enjoy your day ladies~!

Until next time,

Waiting on Wednesday: Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

2010-06-09T00:00:00.002-04:00

Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme created by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Synopsis (From Siobhan's website)

Slut or saint? Good friend or bad friend?
In control or completely out of it?

Life is about choices, and Natalie Sterling prides herself on making the right ones. She’s avoided the jerky guys populating her prep school, always topped honor roll, and is poised to be the first female student council president in years.

If only other girls were as sensible and strong. Like the pack of freshmen yearning to be football players’ playthings. Or her best friend, whose crappy judgment nearly ruined her life.

But being sensible and strong isn’t easy. Not when a prank nearly gets her expelled. Not when her advice hurts more than it helps. Not when a boy she once dismissed becomes the boy she can’t stop thinking about.

The line between good and bad has gone fuzzy, and crossing it could end in disaster . . . or become the best choice she’ll ever make.

I have been dying to read this book since I heard about it. I have a little surprise for you guys!

I HAVE AN EXCERPT! Siobhan reading from Not That Kind of Girl.

Exclusively on Alley of Books!

So what do you think? I AM SO EXCITED FOR IT! You can probably tell!

Go over to Shiobhan Vivian's website for more information on her other books!

Until next time,

For all you GLEE fans! (including ME!)

2010-06-08T23:27:00.000-04:00

I think I owe The Frenetic Reader for forcing me to watch a pilot of a show called Glee way back last year. Sometime in the summer, when iTunes had the pilot for free I'd downloaded it. It was on my iPod and I was bored and I decided to watch it. Since that first moment, I was hooked. Until September, when the season aired, all I did was re-watch the pilot over and over again. Until September 9th, when I was there. Right in front of my T.V. waiting for the new episode of Glee!

And since then, I've diligently watched each and every episode and together with many Twitter/Facebook friends gotten others to watch it.

Now, there are some of you who may not have liked the show due to several reasons.

You started watching after all the hype.
You started mid-season. (you'd understand, but that connection would be missing).
You just simply weren't interested.

But no matter what the reason, I will give you that there are times when I've shook my head and said, "Nope. That episode didn't cut it. It bored me. It didn't hold my attention". Its a given I would say. Everything has its up's and down's. Same with Glee. It's not flawless. Some of the plot-lines are ridiculously predictable. My friend from Word For Teens has called pretty much everything. She could practically be one of the writers.

Having said all that, I will add, Glee is a GREAT show. Mostly its REAL.

There have been such awe-inspiring, tear-inducing, rolling-on-the-floor-laughing-till-my-side-hurts moments. It is a show that came out of nowhere and captured everyone's attention.

Why do I say that? My mother hardly watches any T.V. with me. But every Tuesday, she was there. At 9pm. On the couch, with me, waiting for another Glee episode.

So, why am I writing this blog post. Well, tonight was the season finale. Some of you will not be watching it until about 30 minutes from now. But once you do, for your pleasure. I have some *IN REAL LIFE* pictures of some of the cast members for you.

How did I acquire them you ask? Well, you know the Glee Live Concert Tour? No, I didn't see them live. I just, walked past radio City Music Hall -where they were performing- and happened to come upon the back stage with my friend from Penultimate Page (while she was here for BEA).

Well, without further ado, I present you - GLEE CAST~!

Radio City Music Hall

Brittany & Kurt

Brittany

Kurt (!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Santana

Santana & Artie

Mike

FINN (!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

(He was signing Em's shirt here).

Puck (!!!!!!!!!!!!)

(MARK SALLING WAS TALKING TO ME).

Jesse

(He asked me something. I can't remember. I was busy having a heart attack).

Here's something extra: Two videos. From......

RYAN MURPHY (Co-creator of Glee)

BRAD FALCHUCK (Co-creator of Glee)

Well, I hope you had fun this past season friends. I have been asking this question for the past 2 hours. I will leave you with that. See you tomorrow!

IS IT SEPTEMBER YET?

Until next time,

Beautiful Darkness : New cover alert!

2010-06-07T16:30:00.003-04:00

By now y'all know how much I love Beautiful Creatures. If you don't, well, now you do!

The much anticipated sequel Beautiful Darkness has a new cover!

Old Cover

New Cover

As much as I liked the old one, the new cover is more 'to the book' I'd say. What do you think?

Until next time,

New Header & Domain

2010-05-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hello hello hello!

I got a new domain and a new header! There was a little glitch and it took a while to fix it but now it works! The header is thanks to my friend PeriLynn Harris Glasner who took this picture and showed it to me! I knew I had found what I wanted! A LOT of tweaking followed. And we have what we have!

What do you think of it?

Do you like it? Or have a problem with it? Let me know your thoughts!

Until next time,

Adele of Persnickety Snark fame Sheds Some Light

2010-05-13T09:38:00.005-04:00

Hey all,

Today, I am so excited to bring to you Adele of Persnickety Snark fame. She is one of the few bloggers I look upto. I'm so glad she agreed to write this guest post.

ADDITIONALLY: Its Adele's BIRTHDAY TODAY!

Happy Birthday Adele! >

I cannot wait to meet you in August!

-----------------------******************-------------------------

A big hug and a thank you for inviting me to be part of your blogoversary celebration. You are a valued friend and I am beyond excited to meet you in New York in August.

***

It says a lot about a person, what their immediate thought is about a topic.

When I think of Hunger Games, I think of Gale.

When I think of Vampire Diaries, I think of Damon.

If you haven’t figured it out already, I am into the dark, mysterious and douchey guys. While you may be cheering (or jeering) my choices there are bigger concerns at play. Why don’t I think of the strong, female protagonists?

I empathise with both of the protagonists. Katniss is a strong, capable girl who does everything to keep her family going. Elena is terminally conflicted by her man, her friends and her family. I understand them, I really do. But I don’t like them all that much. Katniss definitely has the edge. Elena is simply someone who bares a lot of cleavage, annoys me with her stupidity and talks from a weird place in her throat. Plus side...she’s not played by Miley Cyrus and her mouth acting. Boob acting I can live with, mouth acting I cannot. Katniss doesn’t do any of these things. Thank goodness.

What do they have in common?

In my opinion they both choose the wrong guys. Not for the pure reasons of love or being soul mates but for entertainment value. I think that Gale and Damon are vastly more entertaining than their counterparts as they are quite unpredictable and have a tendency to be arseholes when necessary. What can I say? I like guys in books and on television that I would never pick for myself in real life.

Nice guys bore me. In the entire time I have been blogging young adult literature reviews I have only found myself siding with the nice guy around three times – LM Montgomery’s Gilbert Blythe (the ultimate nice guy), Robin Benway’s ginger haired James (Audrey, Wait) and Melina Marchetta’s Jonah Griggs (Jellicoe Road). There are a few that live in my grey area but I err on the side of douche baggery.

It reflects society in some ways. We tend to be much harder on females than we are on males. There is expected behaviour attached to being respectful and step outside those lines and a girl can very quickly become a whore or bitch with the snap of the fingers. A guy does these things and not only is it okay, it’s pretty hot. I am a traitor to my gender.

What I would like to point out is that Gale and Damon would not hold as much charm for me if their counterparts weren’t equally fleshed out (if not as charismatic). Peeta and Stefan are white knights in shining armour. Chivalrous, kind and built – yummy, scrummy, cheeseboard abs built. They are beyond delectable. But even these guys wouldn’t hold any attraction if Katniss and Elena didn’t provide a strong central role in the storytelling.

That’s the message here. While the abs and the banter are bliss, it is the sum of the parts that make both The Hunger Games and The Vampire Diaries so good. That doesn’t mean I won’t continue to lust after my fictional hotties, and neither should you!

-----------------------*********************-------------------------

Once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH Adele! Don't forget to look at and comment on the other guest posts about the Hunger Games & Vampire Diaries as a part of my blogoversary celebration!

Until next time,

Waiting on Wednesday Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

2010-05-12T00:03:00.002-04:00

NIGHTSHADE (October 19, 2010, Philomel)

Synopsis: (From Andrea Cremer's website)

While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all.

Click Here to visit the Nightshade website.

About the Author:

Andrea Cremer spent her childhood daydreaming while roaming the forests and lakeshores of Northern Wisconsin. She now lives in Minnesota, but she thinks of her homeland as the “Canadian Shield” rather than the Midwest.

Andrea has always loved writing and has never stopped writing, but she only recently plunged into the deep end of the pool that is professional writing. When she’s not writing, Andrea teaches history at a very nice liberal arts college in St. Paul.

In the little spare time she can find, Andrea stares up at trees, rescues infant rabbits from predatory cats, and invents names for pug puppies with her husband. She has an unfortunate tendency to spill things – white carpets beware!

Her debut novel, NIGHTSHADE, the first of a YA fantasy series, will be published in fall 2010 by Penguin (Philomel).

Reasons I want to read Nightshade:

Totally out of my comfort zone.
It literally screams POTENTIALLY MINDBLOWING (potentially being optional).
I FEEL compelled to read it.
Inexplicable impulse to drop everything (even studying for finals) to read it.
It just sounds so darn amazing!

Words are not enough to convey how excited I am to read Nightshade!

Until next time,

Book Review: The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer

2010-05-08T23:17:00.005-04:00

The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer

About the Author:

ELIOT SCHREFER is a resident of New York City and a graduate of Harvard College. A contributor to The Huffington Post and a reviewer for USAToday, Eliot has been profiled in Newsweek, New York Magazine, theNew York Post, WWD, and NPR's "Leonard Lopate Show." He was selected as one of the 2007 "Out 100," and as a fellow to the Sewanee Writers' Conference. His first novel, Glamorous Disasters (Simon & Schuster), became an international bestseller. His second novel,The New Kid (Simon & Schuster), was nominated for the Lambda Literary Award.

Synopsis (From Borders.com)

Abby Goodwin has always covered for her sister. Maya's screw ups started out ordinary enough: Broken curfews. Failed classes. Hanging out with the wrong crowd.

But now Maya's been accused of murder. And Abby's not sure she'll be able to cover for her anymore. Abby's certain of Maya's innocence--but she's the only one.

With the police closing in, Abby helps Maya escape...and then starts investigating, hoping to clear her sister's name. What she finds, though, shows that you can't trust anyone - not even the people you think you know.

From the author of The School for Dangerous Girls comes a page-turning thriller about the things we do for family--and the limits we can reach.

Review:

This book first caught my attention when I attend a panel discussion during The NYC Teen Author Festival in March where the author, Mr. Schrefer was a panelist. The excerpt he read of The Deadly Sister was quite gripping. I wrote down the name of the book and made a note to look it up later.

A few weeks later, much to my surprise I received The Deadly Sister in the mail from Scholastic and I was pretty excited to read it. And now that I have, boy did I enjoy it! The Deadly Sister is one those books that when you’re done reading them , you need a minute to process all that had happened and what you take away from the book is not just momentary but rather long-lasting. It stays with you at weird times of the day and night and makes you question some of your own actions and makes you rather pensive. The Deadly Sister is classified under Mysteries & Detective Stories and Family/Siblings according to Scholastic and there is not one page in this book that does not make you stop and analyze YOURSELF and your family/siblings and your behavior/attitude towards them. TDS was one horrendous rollercoaster ride, at the end of which the reader is left aghast. I won’t go too much into detail but until pg 250 the reader doesn’t have ANY inkling of what’s coming next.

The Deadly Sister is a fast paced, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat kind of book. I’ve always liked a good mystery and The Deadly Sister is definitely one I would pick up again. Schrefer portrays the damaged relationship between the Goodwin family in way that makes it believable AND relatable. The relationship between the two sisters- the protector and the protectee is complicated albeit one that many teens can relate to. The first page sets the tone for the novel where Abby is firmly set into her role of Maya’s protector. The book follows a chain of intricately intertwined events that at the end culminate into a shocking discovery that will leave the readers minds reeling but at the same time absolutely and thoroughly entertained.

What I especially liked about this book: Cheyenne, the best friend. Despite her flaws, she stood by Abby. Not to say that Cheyenne wasn’t flawed either, but she was definitely the better person of the two. Readers will enjoy this book immensely as Schrefer’s writing style is very simplistic not throwing too many tricks into the story. Although sometimes things jump out at you without the reader realizing it was coming. This is the first book I’ve read by Mr. Schrefer although I have to say I am definitely looking forward to reading his backlist.

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Writing: 4/5

Believability: 5/5

Ending: 15/5

Overall: 92/100 = A

GIVEAWAY! I'm giving away my copy of The Deadly Sister.

To enter fill out this from HERE.

Until next time,

Librarian Alyson Beecher weighs in on The Hunger Games

2010-05-07T13:39:00.003-04:00

In honor of Alley of Books blogoversary celebration, I am writing a guest post on THE HUNGER GAMES more specifically:

What do you think will happen to Peeta? Will he & Katniss have their happily ever after? Or do you think she will go with Gale? Who will survive?

Peeta? Katniss? Happily ever after? Together? Ummm, I don’t think so. I realize that there are a ton of Team Peeta folks out there, but I think this is somewhat unfair to Gale. Frankly, he has not been given an equal or even equitable amount of page time for anyone to properly to rule him out. Despite my personal preferences that Katniss end up with Gale and have their own happily ever after, here are some of my thoughts about what will happen in MOCKINGJAY (THE HUNGER GAME #3).

Suzanne Collins’ HUNGER GAMES has been a series of surprises from the beginning. In book three, I believe that we will be seeing “the real” Hunger Games being played out. Not that the stakes weren’t high enough in the first two books, but this time, the battle is being played out for the lives and freedom of millions of people in the various districts.

*********************SPOILERS**************************

When we last saw our protagonist, Katniss had awoken on an aircraft and was being taken to District 13, which supposedly had been destroyed or no longer existed. She found herself in the presence of Haymitch, Finnick, Beetee and Gale. Katniss was then told that Peeta and several others were captured by the Capitol. Finally, Gale informed her that though he was able to rescue her family District 12 no longer exists.

One thing that has continued to nag at me as I wonder about Katniss and who she might end up with is “What if she ends up with no one?” For some reason, I would not be surprised or disappointed by this outcome. Please don’t see this as a cop-out ending. Personally, I think nicely wrapped up endings or the happily ever after endings can be the true cop-outs. But let’s think about this one….

First, Katniss is still basically a teenager. She was 16 at the time of her first Hunger Games and the second book was basically a year later which would make her 17. The third book is likely to pick up where book two left off and I don’t anticipate that the book will cover several years, more likely several weeks or months. This would still leave her at 17. It may be nice to think you have found your soulmate at 17, but in reality not so likely.

Second, her life circumstances have never really allowed her the luxury to think about a relationship. Since her father’s death, she has had the responsibility of helping her family survive. Even her connections with both Gale and Peeta have had a role in accomplishing the goal of survival.

Third, her relationship with Peeta has primarily been focused on creating an image that plays on the emotions of an audience or fueled by the adrenalin of the Games. Not truly conducive to building a long-term loving stable relationship.

Finally, surviving a revolution where you are the unwitting poster child for rebellion, I would imagine would leave a person with a lot of stuff to sort through emotionally. Personally, I wouldn’t trust my judgment at that point to make a life choice like that.

So really, I like the ending that she ends up without either one of them. But what might be the endings for Peeta and Gale:

For Peeta – I do believe that the Capitol will find ways to torture him and to use him against Katniss and the revolution. I do not believe that they will turn him into an Avox. I can see where that may be the standard protocol for dissenters, especially one that has the potential to vocally influence people. However, Peeta has already lost a leg in the first Hunger Games and I cannot see Collins subjecting Peeta to this especially if she does have plans to reunite him with Katniss. This would be odd and wrong on so many levels. And even if she doesn’t plan to reunite the two, I still find it illogical. I believe that more likely Peeta will become part of the voice of the new leadership or new government in the end.

For Gale – I imagine him more as the “young general”. He does not come across to me as the voice of the movement but literally more as the muscle of the movement. Less one of words and more one of action. In some ways, I wonder more about his surviving the revolution. However, if he does survive, I see him being part of the “military” of the new government. And to answer a question that I have seen posted out there – No I don’t see him falling in love with Madge. Personally that feels more like an awkward attempt to wrap up endings so that everyone has someone (i.e. Katniss/Peeta and Gale/Madge).

In conclusion, though I am Team Gale and will greatly applaud an ending where Katniss and Gale end up together, I still am going more with the scenario where Katniss chooses neither and figures out her future.

So what do you think will be happening in MOCKINGJAY?!

Thank you Alley of Books for letting me guest post and a very Happy Blogoversary!!

- Alybee930

Waiting on Wednesday Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

2010-05-05T14:32:00.005-04:00

Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

Synopsis (GoodReads):

It's hard to find beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming. Fourteen-year-old Grace Carpenter knows it's not her mother's pageant obsessions, or the cowboy dances and pickup trucks adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild girl Mandarin Ramey: seventeen, shameless and utterly carefree.

Grace would give ANYTHING to be like Mandarin.

When the two misfits are united for a project, they embark on an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and constantly searching for someplace magic. Grace even plays along when Mandarin suggests they make a pact to run away together. Blame it on the crazy-making wildwinds that plague their badlands town.

But all too soon, Grace discovers Mandarin's unique beauty hides a girl who's troubled, broken and even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep the magic, even the best friendships can't withstand betrayal.

I'm doing a friendship week soon, and I've been reading some great books that have been exploring the themes of relationships, be it siblings, strangers, or even family. This sounds like a great book that could be added to my existing list. Pity it's not out until March 2011~!

P.S. Love the cover! Especially the colors!

Until next time,

Guest post -Pam from Bookalicio.us

2010-04-29T16:39:00.002-04:00

Hey all!
Like I said in my Blog-O-Versary post, I have a few guest posts lined up to share with you all, Today I bring to Pam from Bookalicio.us, who's going to share her thoughts on a few questions I asked her about The Vampire Daires- the TV show, not the books!

Is Damon really the bad guy he is perceived to be?
In a way, Damon seems to be learning to have more human feelings againafter a long time of living on his predator instincts. I think we will seeDamon evolve overtime into a more human conscious vampire. Will he be likeStefan? Well no, I don't think we will ever convince Damon that rabbit isthe other white meat.

WILL Jeremy become a vampire?
I really think he will decide against it at the last possible minute.

How will he adjust to it?
Assuming I am wrong and he does turn. I think Jeremy will have a hard timeadjusting to the lifestyle that most vampire lead. We can only hope Stefancan guide him.

Will he be a good one? Or a Bad one?
I really don't foresee Jeremy going all Dracula on us. I think if anythinghe will be a poorer excuse for a vampire than Stefan is. Am I the only onewaiting for Stefan to sparkle?

Chime in and let me know what your thoughts are!

Until next time,

Interview with Kay Cassidy

2010-04-28T08:52:00.000-04:00

Kay Cassidy is the author of teen fiction she wishes was based on her real life. She is the founder of the national Great Scavenger Hunt ContestTM reading program for kids and teens and the host of the inspirational Living Your FiveTM web project. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, music, and reading. Lots and lots of reading. She hopes her debut YA novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY (April 13, 2010 - Egmont), will help girls embrace their inner Cindy.

The Cinderella Society (Synopsis):

What a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn't want to wear it anymore?
Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it's like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys' magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she's finally found her chance to fit in.

Then the Wickeds--led by Jess's arch-enemy--begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there's more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.

Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn't want to be seen with her in public? And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?

Interview:
Mitali: You’re all about Girl Power. That’s understandable in this age. Your book has a lot in the way of boosting a girl’s morale. Why is that? Were you always sure that was the message you wanted to get across?
Kay: Absolutely. I'm a huge believer in girl empowerment (and boy empowerment too!). I was a leadership development specialist in my corporate life and am especially passionate about it when it comes to developing the next generation of leaders. The idea of a society dedicated to nurturing the next generation of female movers and shakers is one that is very close to my heart. It was so much fun bringing that to life!

Mitali: Tell me who some of your role models are. And how they’ve affected you and your thoughts and beliefs.
Kay: My mom is one of my biggest role models. She has a form of cancer that is treatable but not curable, so it's sometimes a roller coaster for her going into and coming out of remission. But she has the most amazing attitude – it's so inspiring. The Cinderella Society is dedicated to her. She is 100% Cindy.
Celebrity-wise, some of my role models are:

Oprah Winfrey - Wildly successful because she stays true to herself and helps other people find their joy. Gives back in so many ways.
Daryn Kagan - After being let go by CNN, the fabulous former anchorwoman devoted her career to sharing uplifting stories showing "What's Possible".
Reese Witherspoon - Able to juggle a successful career and a family while being a positive role model for girls.
Carrie Underwood - Amazingly talented and remarkably down to earth despite her meteoric rise to fame.

Mitali: Who would be your ideal Jess Parker?
Kay: I often do a collage of photos to get a visual image of what my characters look like. But I've never found the perfect Jess. If the book had come out five years ago, I think Danielle Panabaker would've been a brilliant Jess. But alas, we all get older as years go by. :-)

Mitali: The chemistry between Ryan Steele and Jess is off the charts. There is a certain conversation on pg 171-173 that is so hot it can burn a hole in the book. What was it like writing that particular scene?
Kay: Ahh… the IM session? That's a fun one. :-) I actually had a good time writing all of the Jess and Ryan scenes. Their chemistry was one of the things that really resonated with me because it's part attraction, part connection that's both scary and wonderful, and part insecurity because they don't know what to do with this newfound wonder.

Mitali: Where do you like writing outside of your office?
Kay: I have a couple of favorite locations. When I'm brainstorming and the weather is nice, I love to bring my plotting worksheets and a notebook out to our screened porch. I've come up with a lot of memorable ideas on that screened porch. Now that I have a fab new recliner in my office, that'll be my go-to place for brainstorming when the screened porch isn't an option. When I'm writing, it's almost always at my desk in my office. I need that focus for first drafting. When I do the full read-through of the paper version, it's always in my recliner with a colored pen handy. And when I proof, it's at my desk. I actually have to touch each word as I read because I'm famous for skipping words like the and for and when. Words that leave you going "Wait, wha?" when they're missing. :-)

Mitali: How’s the new desk working out for you?
Kay: Lovie McLovesalot! I need to finish organizing some of the last bits so I can take pictures and blog about it. But I absolutely adore the space the U-shaped desk offers. Everything is right where I am, so no more commuting back and forth between my computer desk and my executive desk on the other side of the room. LOVE. Plus, it freed up room for me to buy a new recliner for the office so it's fully self-contained now. Score!

Thank you Kay for answering my questions! I loved The Cinderella Society. It has such a powerful uplifiting message that not jsut girls but also boys can take in!

Watch out for my review!

Until next time,

1 year Blog-O-Versary!

2010-04-27T01:11:00.009-04:00

A year ago today, I promised myself that this blog was a medium for me to share my love of reading with others. Alley of Books would be a place where I could voice my thoughts and opinions and feelings and connect with others who felt the same or differently and have 'healthy' conversations about it.

Although I may not have achieved all of what I was aiming for, I have along the way acquired some wonderful friends, made some life-long connections, read FANTABULOUS books and most of all enjoyed every moment of it. But somewhere along the way, I left you out.
This year, I promise you dear readers, to not leave you out. This year shall be more interactive.
I've found a couple of you who love reading and writing as well. A couple of you who are at the moment underage, or do not have parental permission to blog. Well, fear not, I will feature your thoughts on the books that you have enjoyed, right here on the blog!

But, on the topic of my blog-o-versary, there are some people I'd like to thank. I'm going to quickly list . And I want you to know that I'd like to thank ALL OF YOU as well for reading my blog (as far and few between the posts are).
Here we go: (In NO particular order)

· Gayle Forman
· Susane Colasanti
· Coe Booth
· David Levithan
· Khyrinthia (The Frenetic Reader)
· Khy’s Mom
· Michelle Zink
· Devyn Burton
· Zoe (Zoe’s Book Reviews)
· Heidi R. Kling
· Mitali Perkins
· Neesha Meminger
· Sharon Loves Book and Cats
· Vania (Reverie Book Reviews)
· Elyse Marshall
· Adele (Persnickety Snark)
· Suzanne Young
· Marie (NYPL Librarian/ Cupcake Witch)
· Trish Doller
· Courtney Sheinmel
· Sarah (Sarah’s Random Musings)
· Emilee (Penultimate Page)
· Korianne Wey
· Kami Garcia
· Kristi (The Story Siren)
· Margaret Stohl
· Ellen Hopkins
· Josh Berk
· Jenn Hubbard
· Lenore (Presenting Lenore)
· Steph (Reviewer X)
· Alea (Popculture Junkie)

I'm so sure there are tons of people Ihave to thank but I can't remember at the moment! like I'm sure you've had enough of my ramblings! I will be back tomorrow with a series of guest posts that some wonderful librarian/blogger friends have written!

Thank you so much for sticking with me!

Until next time,

AlleyofBooks interviewed by NYPL librarian Marie C. Hansen

2010-04-26T09:34:00.000-04:00

Hi all!
I mentioned the wonderful librarian Marie yesterday in my post about the Teen Author Carnival. Well, Marie asked me if she could interview me for a feature that the New York Public Library does called My Library. Well, interviewed, would be a pretty loose term, rather coerced me into it! (I kid, I kid Marie!)

Here's an excerpt from the interview:
Do you tweet?
I tweet a lot. I’ve been told I tweet a lot. But lately, everyone tweets a lot!
What’s your twitter name?
I actually have one for my blog called AlleyofBooks, but I also have a personal one that everyone else follows.
Who are your favorite authors to follow on Twitter?
I follow Heidi Kling, I intern for her. Her book is called Sea and it is coming out in June so everyone should read it! She’s crazy, funny... she’s like a teenager herself so I love reading her tweets and we basically all talk about Ian Somerhalder and how hot he is. He plays Damon on Vampire Diaries. So our tweets are pretty much Damon craziness!

You can read the rest of it here: Interview

It felt being interviewed as Marie forgot to hit the record button the first time around and made me do it all over again! But I <3 Marie, so I can't really complain!

Let me know what you think of the interview!

Until next time,

Teen Author Carnival

2010-04-25T08:51:00.000-04:00

Hey all!

I'm not sure if you know about the Teen Author Carnival or not, but TAC is an event that Devyn Burton of Five Awesome YA Fans, Korianne Wey of Korianne Speaks, and I came up with last year prior to BEA.

It started with a conversation Devyn and I had via Skype which went something like this:

Devyn: We should meet with some authors for drinks. What would be a good place to meet?
Me: Um, do I need to remind you that we're just 18 and no bar is going to let us in?
Devyn: Mitali, I'm DEVYN BURTON.
(As if that was reason enough. Which is true. There is none other like Devyn Burton! I <3>
Me: How about we do something else? Meet up somewhere else?
Devyn: Like where?
Me: How should I know?
Devyn: Well you're the one who goes to NYC all the time!
(As if that automatically equates to me knowing where all the hotspots to host events are!)
Me: THE NYPL!

And that is how we ended up at the beautiful Jefferson Market Library of the NYPL with the wonderful librarians Marie and Frank to help us! They gave us a wonderful room where David Levithan hosts the Teen Author Reading Night once a month, free reign to do whatever chose our fancy.
How we ended up with over 30 authors, I know not. What happened that night? I remember not. (It was all the excitement that did it, I promise!)
However, here we are in April of 2010, BEA upon our heads in less than a month and guest what else?

YES! The Second Annual Teen Author Carnival! Details on that coming soon!

Are you going to BEA? Are you excited for it? Are you excited for NYC? Are you excited to meet all your blogger friends?

Are you excited for the Teen Author Carnival?

Let me know!

Until next time,

Earth Hour: March 27th, 2010 8:30pm LOCAL

2010-03-27T10:39:00.006-04:00

Hi all,

Today is the day we observe Earth Hour. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would say I'm about a 7 in environmental awareness.

I would like to be more aware and conscious of the decisions I make that directly affect the environment. Hence its the perfect time to do this: observe Earth Hour. I did last year, I shall do it again this year.

What, you may ask, is Earth Hour?

Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as World Wildlife Fund) and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change

(From Wikipedia)

ABOUT EARTH HOUR

On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. The movement symbolizes that by working together, each of us can make a positive impact in this fight, protecting our future and that of future generations.

SPARKING A MOVEMENT

Since its inception three years ago, Earth Hour’s non-partisan approach has captured the world’s imagination and became a global phenomenon. Nearly one billion people turned out for Earth Hour 2009 – involving 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents.

Last year, 80 million Americans and 318 U.S. cities officially voted for action with their light switch, joining iconic landmarks from around the world that went dark for Earth Hour, including:

Empire State Building
Brooklyn Bridge
Broadway Theater Marquees
Las Vegas Strip
United Nations Headquarters
Golden Gate Bridge
Seattle’s Space Needle
Church of Latter-Day Saints Temple
Gateway Arch in St. Louis
Great Pyramids of Giza
Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens
Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro
St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London
Elysee Palace and Eiffel Tower in Paris
Beijing’s Birds Nest and Water Cube
Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong
Sydney’s Opera House

SET YOUR CLOCK
On Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. local time, Earth Hour will once again cascade around the globe, from New Zealand to Hawaii.
(From www.myearthhour.org)

Join the website and register to help make your state and official Earth Hour State. Its high time we all started taking our futures a bit more seriously.
I shall be observing Earth Hour. Will you?
Follow my Earth Hour tweets @AlleyofBooks
Until next time,

NYC Teen Author Festival

2010-03-15T14:54:00.002-04:00

Hey ya'll
(Forgive my blatant attempt at trying to be Southern, which I know is ridiculous, but still bear with me).

So, ya'll know how I started the blog. I met Khy and I got tangled up with some wonderful authors and ta-da! Alley of Books was born.

Well, the way I see it, I have to pay homage to them and recognize the importance of the Festival.

Well, its back. And its BIGGER!!

Tonight we have:
Monday, 3/15 (NYPL, Tompkins Square Branch, 331 East 10th Street, 6pm):
First Draft to Final Draft – Talking About the Writing Process featuring:

Gayle Forman
Daphne Grab
Carolyn Mackler
Sarah Mlynowski
Blake Nelson
Marie Rutkoski
Eliot Schrefer
Natalie Standiford

Now, you know how much I love Gayle. And Sarah, Carolyn and Natalie are just fantastic! And I'm just as excited to see the others!

So, if you're not doing anything tonight, just come on over to the Tompkins Square Branch, of the NYPL to enjoy with us!

Until next time,

Guest Post: Amy Brecount White

2010-03-12T12:32:00.007-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY! :)

And thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to host you on my blog today, on your bithday- a very special day!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Everyday Flower Magic

Earlier this year I started a weekly interview post on my blog and one of the questions I ask every guest is, “What book would you like to live inside?” Surprisingly, almost everyone has answered Harry Potter. I agree that living at Hogwarts would be phenomenal. However, I’ve also been thinking a lot about the whole idea of magic in our lives.
What is magic? There’s the Harry Potter/ Gandalf wizarding kind, but I’d also like to make the case for a subtler kind of magic that’s sometimes easy to miss. The kind of accessible, everyday magic I find in flowers. And laughter.
When I was first writing Forget-Her-Nots, lots of people – critique partners and editors I met at conferences - wanted me to make it an all-out, whizz-bang fantasy novel. They wanted flower witches and warlocks and the grand, showy kind of spells. I resisted, because I wanted my novel to have more of a connection to the rhythm of ordinary lives. I want anyone who reads my novel to wonder: is the magic of flowers possible in my own life?
My answer is definitely! It’s a statistically proven fact that receiving a gift of flowers can make you smile and brighten your life for several days. Spending time outdoors with trees and flowers has repeatedly been shown to be healthy for us. As I said in my guest post for the Book Butterfly, science is finally catching up with our intuition that we need the magic of flowers in our lives. (http://butterflybookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/03/spread-flower-love-blog-tour-amy.html .)
In fact, doesn’t it seem kind of magic that more beauty and sweet scents in our lives can make us happier? And now that spring is here, plant a tiny flower seed in warming soil and watch it transform itself out of sun, water, and earth. Just try to tell me there’s not a kind of magic in that!
A few days ago, I heard the Dalai Lama laugh in a radio interview. His laughter was infectious, like sweet like bells ringing through me. His personality and his joy rode the radio waves out into the universe. I couldn’t help smiling. Flowers and laughter are the most magical things I know.
If there is such a thing as everyday magic, perhaps that’s what novels described as “magic realism” are getting at. There is a magic in our everyday lives, whether we choose to see it or not. Sometimes you have to be looking for something to be able to see it. Lots of readers have told me that they see flowers differently after reading my novel. They are more attuned to the transformative possibilities of blooms. Yay!
So what’s magical in your life today?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you so much, once again Amy!

Dear followers, like they say in FHN, "Every flower has a secret"; Today I offer to you Lily of the Valley.

I hope happiness returns to you all. After this dreadful weather we've had so far I think we could all use a breath of fresh air!

(Personally, its one of my favorite flowers!)

Until next time,

The Oscars and Avatar!

2010-03-07T23:59:00.000-05:00

Every year I wait for the Oscars with baited breath. The Academy Awards are the like a seal of excellence. A seal that has been decided by industry professionals; not the audience who could be influenced by a number of various things.

This year, however, the excitement had dimmed. Just a tiny bit though. I was still gung-ho about some of my favorite movies winning and achieving that seal of excellence. Then I realized that Avatar was nominated. It was nominated for:

Avatar

Lightstorm Entertainment Production (20th Century Fox)

Art direction
Cinematography
Directing
Film editing
Original score
Best picture
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Visual effects

Of which, so far, by 11:04 pm it has won:

Best Art Direction
WINNER: Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Best Cinematography
WINNER: Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Its 11:41 pm now and Avatar has not won any more awards. And we have the last big two left. Best Directing and Best Picture.

Well the Best Directing was just announced and it went to Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker.

BEST DIRECTOR
WINNER: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

AND IT IS 11:59. BEST PICTURE: NOT AVATAR!

The Hurt Locker won the Oscar for the Best Picture!

Congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to win the Best Directing Oscar. And The Hurt Locker for winning the Best Picture.

Honestly, I am very glad that Avatar did not win. The reason, you may ask? I liked Avatar. As a 3D movie that I spent a good deal of money on. Yes, it was good. GRAPHICALLY.

The plot line? Filled with holes. Stretched out and very very predictable. Here is one review of Avatar that I thought was spot on.

From Random Babble:

We normally don’t do movie reviews but this movie was just asking for it. Made on a God-knows-how-many-million-dollars budget, conceptually conceived in an age when Sunny Deol was considered an awesome actor and having used technology that transforms 6 foot men into 10 foot tall smurfs, Avatar has been pretty much the talk of the town, as far as movies go.

The story, which isn’t much to write home about anyways, follows a paraplegic ex-marine Jake Sully, who is mentally linked to the avatar of his deceased twin brother. This avatar is a hybrid cross between a human and a Na’vi, the resident sentient race of Pandora. The program is an initiative to convince the Na’vi to relinquish their land so that humans can mine Pandora for Unobtanium.

What follows is a clichéd tale where Sully assimilates the Na’vi culture and gradually becomes one of them – an angle better visited in The Last Samurai. The romance angle between what’s-her-name and Sully is also half baked and there are almost no tender moments that would indicate any amour, unless you consider hissing like a cat and smiling devilishly as remotely affectionate. And I thank my stars I live in a world where I do not have to go through some crazy testosterone-driven ritual to prove my coming-of-age. Rife chauvinism, the alpha-male dominance and ‘White Man’s Greed’ are some of the other clichés that are peppered generously throughout the movie. Yawn.

I could not help but marvel at James Cameron’s legerdemain. Like a practiced magician, he has diverted attention to something spectacular and gotten away with a substandard backbone. Twice. As with Titanic, where the sinking of the ship was almost incidental, here too the story is, to use my favourite slang word, lame. And twice he’s laughed his way to the bank. The visuals are awesome. No other word for it. The colours are rich, the scenery delightful and the Hanging Mountains took my breath away. Sadly once you leave the theatre, no character really stays behind with you a la Yoda or Darth Vader from Star Wars or Aragorn from LOTR or Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean. And there’s talk about a sequel. . For a movie that takes itself too seriously and was fortuitously released about the same time as the Copenhagen Climate conference 2009 , it fails to do justice to the ecological concerns that it attempts to raise.

Thankfully for Cameron, his ‘shock-and-awe’ tactic, to bombard the viewer with stunning graphics and pray he doesn’t pick out the limp storyline has worked. I give it a 2 on 5 and those points are solely for the visuals. Watch the movie but do not take it too seriously.

And the next person to say ‘A-va-taar’ gets it from me.

Hate mail can be directed to rohan0301@gmail.com. Cheers
.

Here is the original post.

When I read this review I thought to myself, "Finally! Someone who understand and can put down into words EFFECTIVELY what I wanted to say about the movie".

What do you think? Are you an Avatar lover? Or an Avatar hater? Or you kinda liked the movie? But didn't love it?

Let me know!

Until next time,

Cover Art Revealed!

2010-03-03T10:35:00.004-05:00

Little, Brown announced a while ago that they would be unveiling Prophecy of the Sisters Paperback (July 2010) cover along with the release of the cover for Guardian of the Gate, the next book in the series, out August 2010!

To celebrate that I'm giving away Guardian of the Gate TEMPORARY Tattoos away!

Tell me what you think about the covers for a chance to win!

Prophecy of the Sisters

(Paperback - July 2010)

Guardian of the Gate

(August 2010)

Fill out the form here to win the tattoos!

Please stop by Michelle Zink's Ning and let her know what you think as well!

(Contest is open to USA residents only!)

Until next time,

Waiting on Wednesday: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

2010-02-24T09:51:00.004-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares.

A NEW BOOK BY RACHEL COHN & DAVID LEVITHAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!

No description available as yet.

Do you really need reasons to read this book? Its pretty self-explanatory~! ;)

Rachel & David. NYC. Book of Dares. DASH. LILY. Frawsome cover.

What else do you need? Just for October to come NOW!

Until next time,

Wherever Nina Lies Contest & Interview w/author Lynn Weingarten

2010-02-22T08:31:00.007-05:00

Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten

Summary:
Nina was beautiful, wild, and adored by her younger sister, Ellie. But, one day, Nina disappeared. Two years later, everyone has given up home that Nina will return, but Ellie knows her sister is out there. If only Ellie had a clue where to look. Then she gets one, in the form of a mysterious drawing. Determined to find Nina, Ellie takes off on a crazy, sexy, cross-country road trip with the only person who believes she’s got a chance—her hot, adventurous new crush. Along the way, Ellie finds a few things she wasn’t planning on. Like love. Lies. And the most shocking thing of all: the truth.

AUTHOR BIO:
Lynn Weingarten spends a lot of time writing in coffee shops while occasionally reading strangers’ laptops over their shoulders. In the past she has been a book editor, a barista, a counter girl at a bakery in Ireland, a waitress at a bar, and a seller of tiny homemade clay animals. She lives in New York City. Wherever Nina Lies was her first novel. Please visit her online at www.lynnweingarten.com.
Visit the book website here.

Interview:

The concept of Wherever Nina Lies still has me confounded. How did it come to you? Did you plot it that way or was it revealed as you wrote the book?

LW: The whole idea came about in kind of a backwards way. Scholastic and I were talking about me possibly writing a book for them and they mentioned wanting to do a YA novel with pictures/drawings. And so I tried to come up with a plot for which pictures would be a natural fit. I wrote a pretty detailed outline and by the time I started writing I knew all the big story beats, although most of the smaller beats and all of the details I made up as I went along.

Did you know where your characters were going to be like going into the book? Or did they come to you?

LW: A lot of the big/basic things I had planned out ahead of time, but many of the details were things I figured out while I was writing. Random people I know or used to know contributed various personality traits to various characters in the book.

What is your writing process like? Outline/Free flow?

LW: It definitely varies according to the project, and I think I’m still figuring out what works best for me, but at this point I basically like to have a detailed enough outline so that I know where the story is going and I know that the plot has a definite arc/things are moving forward, etc, but at the same time, I like to leave enough room in the outline so that the writing process doesn’t end up feeling like putting together a set of Ikea shelves.

How many drafts did you go through? When did you actually finish the book?

LW: I did one big revision and a couple rounds of line-edits, but I was making little tweaks right up until the very last-minute. And I still don’t feel totally done with the thing! I have a copy of the book that I’ve used for readings and it’s all marked up with little squiggles and arrows pointing to new lines. Basically every time I look at it I find something I’d like to change.

How much of the book was fiction and how much was true? Were there parts that you took from your personal life or that of someone you knew?

LW: When my mom was sixteen she really did pretend to be French for a summer. That’s the one part of the book I took directly from real life. There are characters that have traits in common with people I know/have known and I’ve had various experiences that are kind of similar to a few things in the book, but overall it’s definitely mostly fiction.

Thank you Lynn for answering my questions! I'm giving away 3 copies of the book in paperback! Fill out giveaway entry form here.

Please do not enter via comments!

Until next time,

Ally Carter in NYC!

2010-02-13T21:41:00.004-05:00

Hey there New Yorkers!!! (And everyone in the area!)

Come see Ally Carter tomorrow February, 14th 2010 at Books of Wonder from 2-4pm!

Picture courtesy of Books of Wonder website!

I shall be there, will you?!

Come say hi if you do go!

Until next time,

Hunger Games 3 cover and title revealed!

2010-02-11T01:17:00.007-05:00

Its on a million blogs already, but this one time I shall be a conformist and post about it as well because you know I'm one of her ardent admirers as well!

Well, Scholastic finally revealed the cover and the title of Hunger Games #3

.......ta-da!

What do you think? Does it live upto the previous covers? I'm still mulling over my thoughts.

Read this post over at Scholastic's blog On Our Minds where Amber Herbert from PR at Scholastic asks David Levithan (VP Editorial Director, Scholastic) some questions. The answers to which made me laugh out loud for once in the actual sense of the phrase! Read it here

The release date is still set for August, 24th 2010

I'm sure we are all going to be lined up outside the bookstores or waiting for Amazon (with the fail lately I'm a little doubtful) to ship it, Or the mail man/UPS/Fed-Ex to deliver it.

I know for sure that I am!

Let me know what you thought of the post (comment on the original post on the Scholastic blog), the cover, and the title for a chance to win a Catching Fire sticker and pin!

Ends 2/28/10!

(Winner will be picked to Random Number generator)

Until next time,

Waiting on Wednesday: Forget You by Jennifer Echols

2010-02-10T13:07:00.002-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday: Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Synopsis:

Zoey’s life in her Florida beach resort town is happy and organized. She’s the captain of her high school swim team, and she works for her dad at his popular water park. Then her dad has an affair with one of his employees, and her mother has a breakdown. But Zoey begins a committed relationship with a hot lifeguard, which makes her feel stable, even if things aren’t perfect at home. Everything is still under control.

Until she has a car accident that she can’t remember. She should have been with her boyfriend that night, but he doesn’t seem to know anything about the accident—and he doesn’t seem to care. The person who does care, and knows more than he’s telling, is Doug, Zoey’s darkly handsome arch-enemy who saved her from the wreckage. As Zoey begins to piece together what happened that night, she finds her sense of control over her life was only an illusion. And she inches closer to discovering the darkest secret of all: why Doug has fallen in love with her.

I love this cover. I cannot possibly convey how much. I am going to try to recreate it for my photography class. In black and white. Hopefully, I will find people who will live up to the original cover.

Aside from the cover, I LOVE THE CONCEPT. yes, yes I am a romantic and all that. But the only book I've read with amnesia are, well, adult books. So I'm really excited to read this one!

Release Date: July 20, 2010

Published by MTV Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.

Until next time,

Waiting on Wednesday: Endless Summer

2010-02-03T02:29:00.006-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday: Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Synopsis:

Lori should have known better than to date a pirate.

After finally getting together and going out on their first real date, only Lori and Adam could manage to fall asleep—and wake up seven hours past Lori’s curfew. Their parents forbid them to see each other. So Lori takes it upon herself to date boys scarier than Adam until her dad gives in.

But Adam won’t play along. He’s afraid Lori might fall for these scary boys. And when she goes out with the scariest boy of all—Adam’s own brother and her ex-crush—even the threat of being sent away to military school can’t keep Adam from swashbuckling his way back into Lori’s heart.

Can this forbidden love stay afloat, or will it sink in the watery deep?

I must confess that I have no read anything by Ms. Echols just yet, but I have heard NOTHING but raving reviews for her books!

My next move? To remedy that as soon as possible!

WHAT IS UP WITH THE COVER? Why are there sooo many covers that I love lately. (Not that its a bad thing! There's just so many books that I want to read. And so little time).

I am 4597349064796734896748% sure I will read this book when it comes out!
Pirates? Bad guys? Heck yeah! I'm so there! You don't need to ask me twice! ;)

Release date: May 25, 2010
Published by Simon Pulse, a division of Simon & Schuster

Until next time,

Happy Release Day!

2010-02-01T01:02:00.002-05:00

Its February 1st!

We're already into the second month of this so far wonderful year!

So many wonderful books coming out today! I'm going to list the two I'm looking forward to reading the most!

#1 Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson

I like this (-->) cover better what do you think?

Ever since Mrs. Amberson, the former-aspiring-actress-turned-agent, entered Scarlett Martin's life, nothing has been the same.

She's still in charge of the Empire Suite in her family's hotel, but she's now also Mrs. Amberson's assistant, running around town for her star client, Chelsea - a Broadway star Scarlett's age with a knack for making her feel insignificant.

Scarlett's also trying to juggle sophomore year classes, her lab partner who is being just a little TOO nice, and getting over the boy who broke her heart.

In the midst of all this, her parents drop a bombshell that threatens to change her New York life forever...

#2 THE IRON KING by Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined--the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series.

I already own Scarlett Fever so I shall be reading that soon, but I am going to buy The Iron King which has been recommended to be by a bajillion friends and Julie is such a sweetheart herself!

HAPPY RELEASE DAY LADIES~!

Until next time,

Waiting on Wednesday: A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

2010-01-27T08:18:00.004-05:00

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend

by Emily Horner

From Emily Horner's website:
For months, Cass Meyer has heard her best friend Julia, a wannabe Broadway composer, whispering about a top-secret project. Then Julia is killed in a sudden car accident, and while Cass is still reeling from her death, Julia’s boyfriend and her other drama friends make it their mission to bring to fruition the nearly-completed secret project: a musical about an orphaned ninja princess entitled Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad.
Cass isn’t one of the drama people. She doesn’t feel at home with Julia’s drama friends, and she doesn’t see a place for her in the play. Things only get worse when she finds out that Heather Galloway, the girl who made her miserable all through middle school, has been cast as the ninja princess.
Cass can’t take a summer of swallowing her pride and painting sets, so she decides to follow her original plan for a cross-country road trip with Julia. Even if she has a touring bicycle instead of a driver’s license, and even if Julia’s ashes are coming along in Tupperware.
A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend is a story about friendship. About love. About traveling a thousand miles just to find yourself. About making peace with the past, and making sense of it. And it’s a story about the bloodiest high school musical one quiet suburb has ever seen.

Oh man, I have coveted this book for months! Now that I finally have a copy my stupid resolution of not reading anything until I finish my homework is slowing down my reading rate massively!

I'm in college darn it! This is not high school anymore! Don't mind me, I'm just mad at myself.

But, but, but. When I do finish reading this book you WILL hear about it!

Until next time,

ALA Youth Media Awards (continued)

2010-01-22T13:12:00.003-05:00

The Michael L. Printz Award

(From the ALA website)

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.

Mike was active in YALSA and served on the Best Books for Young Adults Committee and the Margaret A. Edwards Award Committee. He had a passion for books and reading. Finding the right book for the right student at the right time was not just a slogan to Mike-he lived it. He also appreciated the authors who wrote books for young adults and demonstrated this by initiating an author-in-residence program at his high school. One of those authors was Chris Crutcher, who became a close friend. Chris recalls the quiet times he spent with Mike talking with him about his vision of young adult literature and its place in kid's lives and says, "The ache I feel [upon hearing of Mike's death] is my wish that he could have accepted for himself what he so readily gave to us, readers and writers alike; a place to stand in the circle of the joy and heartache that is storytelling."

YALSA has created a place, a circle if you will, for Mike to stand and be recognized- that place is the Michael L.Printz Award.

YALSA published A Printz of a Man, a volume of articles written by Mike's friends and colleagues in 1997. Copies were given to the participants at the YALSA preconference, Popular Reading, which was dedicated to Mike, in San Francisco. It is now available on this web site for the reader's information and enjoyment.

2010 Honor books

Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith
by Deborah Heiligman, published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group


	The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
	Punkzilla by Adam Rapp and published by Candlewick Press
	Tales from the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes and published by Viking Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Young Reader’s Group

2010 Printz Award Winner

Going Bovine
by Libba Bray
Sixteen year old slacker, Cameron, sets off on a madcap road trip along with a punk angel, a dwarf sidekick, a yard gnome and a mad scientist, to save the world and perhaps his own life.

This wildly imaginative modern day take on Don Quixote is complex, hilarious and stunning. The hero’s journey will never be the same after “Going Bovine.”

Watch the winners be announced here!

Congratulations to Libba Bray on a most deserved win!

(If I can find it I will try to upload a video of Libba reading from Going Bovine at the Jefferson Market Public Library!)

Until next time,

ALA Youth Media Awards

2010-01-21T12:23:00.006-05:00

Waking up early in the morning is a chore, ask anyone. But waking up early to go attend the Youth Media Awards to hear the best of the best books of 2009 be announced among a crowd of people who picked these books after carefully scrutinizing them based on various criterion, and people who published them, and librarians who put them on their library bookshelves, and readers, like me who loved them, was an absolutle pleasure!

Thankfully , I'd found my camera before going to Boston and charged it in anticipation of this event, to be able to caputre it on video and put it out there for you all to see!

The William C. Morris Award: (From the ALA website)
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award celebrates the achievement of a previously unpublished author, or authors, who have made a strong literary debut in writing for young adult readers. The work cited will illuminate the teen experience and enrich the lives of its readers through its excellence, demonstrated by:
Compelling, high quality writing and/or illustration
The integrity of the work as a whole
Its proven or potential appeal to a wide range of teen readers

2010 Finalists:

Ash by Malinda Lo, by published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

The Everafter by Amy Huntley, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Hold still by Nina LaCour, published by Dutton Children’s Books, a Division of Penguin Young Readers Group

And the winner is .....

Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan, published by Houghton Mifflin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Blake’s life is way too complicated. He’s a sophomore with a girlfriend and a friend who is a girl. One loves him. One needs him. Can he please them both? The voices of the characters are accurate, evocative and humorous capturing the everyday adolescent stresses and misunderstandings that are so hard to live through.

Congratulations to L.K. Madigan on a well deserved win!!!

Tomorrow some more videos from the YMA!

Until next time,

Waiting On Wednesday: Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala

2010-01-20T11:41:00.000-05:00

Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala

Synopsis: (From GoodReads)

It’s tough, living in the shadow of a dead girl…

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.

Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

In this powerful debut novel, stunning new talent Holly Cupala illuminates the dark struggle of a girl who must let go of her past to find a way into her own future.

Praise for Tell Me A Secret-

"A powerful story of self-discovery, and a brilliant debut novel." - Ellen Hopkins, New York Times bestselling author of CRANK

"Tell Me a Secret is a gripping, emotional story about a young girl with a tragic past and an uncertain future. I dare you to set it down during its last hundred pages. I dare you." - Deb Caletti, National Book Award Finalist author of HONEY, BABY, SWEETHEART

Contest: The Secret Year!

2010-01-15T09:55:00.001-05:00

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

Synopsis: (From GoodReads):

Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend.When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal she left behind. But he is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept.

Watch out for my review!

Contest ends 1/29/2010!

Enter for a chance to win an ARC of The Secret Year! Winner will receive a personalized ARC signed by Jenn herself!

All you have to do is tell me about your worst break up and how you got over it!

Rules:

You dont have to be a follower.
Just leave your email in the comments with your entry.
1 entry per entrant!

Until next time,

Guest post over at Persnickety Snark

2010-01-14T00:13:00.000-05:00

A while ago Adele from Persnickety Snark asked me to write a guest post for her Bloggoversary and I said yes to her mainly because:

Adele's Awesome.
Her blog is one of the few I read diligently.
She's one of the good ones.

She gave me a free reign to write about whatever I wanted so I set my mind to writing an Ode to Adele of sorts. however I failed miserably!

Go over to her blog to see my post and read all about it!

Link here.

Until next time,

Waiting on Wednesday: Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink

2010-01-13T11:24:00.002-05:00

Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink

From Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe must journey to the uncharted isle of Altus to continue her search for the missing pages of the Book of Chaos - the pages that could tell her how to end the prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other. But the journey will test more than just her courage, it will also test her loyalty to her beloved boyfriend, James. Meanwhile, twin sister Alice will stop at nothing to reclaime Lia's role as the Gate. And that's not the only thing she wants from her sister: there's also Lia's true love. The outcome of their battle could have consequences of Biblical proportions and, in the end, only one sister will be left standing

No cover is available for the book yet!

Guardian of the Gate is the much awaited second book in the Prophecy of the Sisters Trilogy! I have been waiting for this book since the minute I finished PotS.

And I know the minute I finish GotG I'm going to be waiting for the 3rd one with baited breath!

Until next time,

Waiting on Wednesday: The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

2010-01-06T11:40:00.003-05:00

The Unwritten Rule by

Elizabeth Scott

Synopsis:

Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like you best friend's boyfriend.

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...

I absolutely adore Elizabeth Scott! I <3 au naturalement I am waiting for this one too! Can not wait to read it!

Until next time,

Book Review - The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

2009-12-29T02:56:00.001-05:00

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

I, Penny Lane Bloom, do solemnly swear to never date another boy for as long as I shall live. All right, maybe I’ll reconsider it in ten years or so when I’m no longer living in Parkview, Illinois, or attending McKinley High School, but for now I’m done with guys.
They’re all lying, cheating scum of the earth.Yes, every last one of them. Pure evil.
Sure, there are some that seem nice, but the second they get what they want, they’ll dump you and move onto their next target.
So I’m done.
No more dating.
The end.

Love is all you need…or is it?

Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating, so she vows: No more. She’s had one too many bad dates, and has been hurt by one too many bad boys. It’s a personal choice…and soon everybody wants to know about it. It seems that Penny’s not the only girl who’s tired of the way girls change themselves (most of the time for the worse) in order to get their guys…or the way their guys don’t really care about them.

Girls are soon thronging to The Lonely Hearts Club (named after Sgt. Pepper’s band), and Penny finds herself near legendary for her non-dating ways – which is too bad, since the leader of The Lonely Hearts Club has found a certain boy she can’t help but like…

Elizabeth Eulberg was born and raised in Wisconsin before heading off to Syracuse University and then making a career in the New York City book biz. She lives outside of Manhattan with her three guitars, two keyboards, and one drumstick. In researching The Lonely Hearts Club, she tried swearing off boys forever. It didn’t work.

I received this book for review from my contact as she thought I would like it since it fit my tastes. The title threw me off for a bit, but when I picked up the book I actually liked the premise. As I proceeded to read the book knowing it was the author’s debut book I was quite surprised at how good she was.

I guess its confession time.

I have never heard the Beatles. I know that might be perceived as a sin in many of your eyes. I intend to remedy that right away.

Oh here:

Situation remedied.

I’m listening to it now! Oh wow! I actually like the song! :D

Getting back to the book! I did enjoy it quite a bit. Filled with references to The Beatles and trivia related to them, The Lonely Hearts Club, is a refreshing novel about a girl – Penny Lane (obviously named after a Beatles song), who after being dumped by the boy she thought she loved for so many years takes the initiative of getting together girls suffering through the same, and forms a club where the girls form a bond. A sisterhood of sorts. The only catch. Once you’re in it you can’t date a boy. Not for life. Only for the remainder of your high school years.

Ahh, but as they say, ‘when God closes one door, he opens another window.’

As soon as Penny is out of one relationship, Ryan, her good friend starts acting weirdly around her. She is confused by all that is going on and the Club is getting out of hand as all the girls flock to join it. Let’s face it; we have all at some point faced the same rejection that Penny and her friends have. It hurts and honestly if you don’t have your friends to help you get through that time you’re stuck. Everything looks pretty bleak.

Ms. Eulberg’s debut novel, filled with humour and quirks, is a read that every girl needs when she is in search of a pick-me-up after being let down. I love Penny’s voice and that fact that she wasn’t scared to stand up for her ideals. Ms. Eulberg provides teen girls with what they exactly need. Someone they can look upto and want to emulate when the time comes for them to take a stand.

Overall a delightful read! Congrats on a job well done Ms. Eulberg!

Read the back story here and visit here website here to learn more about the book and Ms. Eulberg herself!

Happy Release Day!

Until next time,

Waiting on Wednesday: My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

2009-12-23T16:10:00.002-05:00

Synopsis:

“If she were going to die, I’d already be screaming. I’m a banshee. That’s what we do.”

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld — a consequence they can’t possibly understand. Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk....

I loved My Soul To Take. Look out for my review coming soon!

Book 2 in the Soul Screamer Series comes out December 29th. Its called My Soul To Save.

Rachel Vincent is having a contest on her website for a signed copy of each! Enter to win!

Waiting on Wednesday

2009-12-09T23:03:00.001-05:00

All Unquiet Things centers around the murder of teen heiress Carly Ribelli, who was found shot to death a mile from her house in a wealthy Northern California suburb. Carly’s uncle, a dissolute alcoholic, was convicted of the crime, but a year later his daughter still doesn’t believe her father is guilty. Determined to prove his innocence, Audrey Ribelli contacts Carly’s ex-boyfriend, Neily Monroe, the boy who found Carly’s body. She is convinced that he knows more than he thinks about the events that led up to Carly’s death. Despite Neily’s initial reluctance, he and Audrey begin their investigation at the posh private school they attend, identifying prime suspects from among their spoiled classmates and digging up secrets about Carly’s past to get to the truth behind her murder.

All Unquiet Things will be released by Delacorte Books for Young Readers (Random House) on January 12, 2010.

Read an excerpt from All Unquiet Things here. Download the All Unquiet Things chapter sampler here.

Bring It On!

2009-12-05T23:54:00.002-05:00

A few days back I got an email asking me to attend an event at the NYPL.

It was an event for Jessica Bendinger the author of The Seven Rays. (Simon & Schuster - November, 24th 2009)

This was the attachment:

After reading that I HAD to attend. There was no way I wasn't going! The chance to meet the writer of Bring It On? Stick It? Aquamarine? SEX AND THE CITY?!?!?!!

'course not!

And boy am I glad I did!

Jessica was nothing but fantastic!

Did you know she used to be a model? I didn't either!

The Seven Rays sounds absolutely fascinating! Jessica conceived of it as a movie, but it didn't seem plausible at the time so she converted it to a novel.

BUT, now, IT MIGHT BECOME A MOVIE!

Jessica went on the Today Show on Thursday to talk about her book! She mentions the movie part in it! Watch the video to see which actors she mentions are interested!

Here's the link to the article: Link

Here the video: Link

At the NYPL, there was a Q&A session hosted by Nina Malkin, the author of Swoon!

Here are some pictures:

Jessica and Nina

During the Q&A.

Jessica signing a copy of her book.

I'm really excited to read the book and share my thoughts with you! Stay tuned!

Until next time,

Cover Art!

2009-12-04T09:06:00.001-05:00

We've been waiting a long time for this cover to be revealed... and finally we get to see it!!!

*drumroll please*

HEX HALL by Rachel Hawkins

The cover suits the book perfectly. You get that once you've read the book!

Its definitely one you should look out for and put it on your 2010 wish list!

Until next time,

Waiting on Wednesday

2009-12-02T00:56:00.003-05:00

THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger

(No cover available yet!)

About Kody:

She is a teen novelist. THE DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) will be released by LIttle Brown/Poppy in Fall 2010!!! Meanwhile, she's in her freshman year of college at Ithaca in upstate New York!

Read about the origin of the term DUFF here

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca knows she’s the Duff (the designated ugly, fat friend). So when Wesley, a notorious womanizer, approaches her at a party she knows he wants to score with one—or both—of her hot friends. God, the man-whore’s arrogance really pisses her off! But Bianca needs to escape from some personal drama, like her mom’s abandonment and her dad’s denial, and a steamy fling with Wesley seems like the perfect distraction. Bianca makes it clear she’s only using Wesley, as if he cares. He’ll sleep with anything that moves after all. Unfortunately, the enemies-with-benefits plan totally backfires.

When her mom files for divorce and her father stumbles into a downward spiral of drinking and depression, Wesley proves to be a surprisingly good listener, and Bianca finds out that his family is pretty screwed up, too. As sickening as it sounds, she has to admit that she and Wesley are a lot alike. Soon she becomes jealous of the pretty girls he flirts with and his cocky grin begins to grow on her. Suddenly Bianca realizes—with absolute horror—that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated.

ONE reason I want to read this book?

The guy sounds like Chuck Bass (behaviorally). ;)

Until next time,

Can you say AH-MAZING?!

2009-12-02T00:43:00.006-05:00

As if my being obsessed with reading it over and over wasn't enough, Beautiful Creatures has gone and made itself even more memorable. Rather unforgettable.

Do you remember watching P.S. I Love You with Gerard Butler, Hilary Swank and Jeffery Dean Morgan, crying buckets of tears along the way?

Well, if you do, then you're in for a treat...

Beautiful Creatures has been optioned by Warner Bros. to be made into a movie!

YES! A MOVIE!!!!!

What could possibly be better than Ethan and Lena being eternalized on the silver screen?

...This is where P.S. I Love You comes in. The person who wrote the screenplay - writer/director Richard LaGravenese is on board! As is Erwin Stoff (The Blind Side) as producer!

Read the full length article in EW here.

If I have not done so before, here is the wonderful trailer of Beautiful Creatures made by own of our own, Vania from Reverie Book Reviews!

Congratulations Kami & Margie!

Until next time,