Reading Keeps You Sane

Follow Friday (4)

2012-01-12T23:47:00.000-06:00

Q: Many readers/bloggers are also big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012.

I am completely in love with Parachute right now. They are an amazing band and seriously every song by them I love. I also really love Lifehouse and The Script. I love Taylor Swift and, of course, GLEE!! Or mostly Darren Criss. :) And a few others: Priscilla Ahn, Florence and The Machine, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Hot Chelle Rae, Maroon 5, Thompson Square. There are others of course! But that's basically it!

On The Outside: Beth Fantaskey

2012-01-09T23:33:00.003-06:00

On The Outside is an exclusive feature where authors guest blog about how their novels got their cover and/or title.

Thank you very much to Beth Fantaskey for participating this week! (If I'm a little late...) Her new book, Jessica Rules The Dark Side, is released tomorrow!

~~~

It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late?

~~~

The first thing that readers of my first book, Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, immediately notice about the cover of the sequel is that Jessica is portrayed by a different girl. I’m not sure why this is, but I suspect it has a lot to do with the fact that, while the story picks up only a few months after the first book ends, in real life, several years have passed. Models move on – or perhaps mature too much to believably pass as teenagers.

Regardless, I have to say that I love the new cover, which is again created by the very talented Cliff Nielsen.

The color scheme is dark – and, while funny, this book is a little darker than the original.

Lucius is clearly protective of Jessica, but Jess is powerful in her own right. She could easily be guarding him – as she does in the novel.

Finally, I like the fact that, if you look closely enough, you can see that Jess is holding a stake in her left hand. My editor and I debated whether to include that detail and ultimately agreed, “Yeah, let’s leave it.” It’s a small symbol, but important to Jessica’s acceptance of her new destiny.

To me, the cover has a romantic, mysterious vibe... I hope it makes readers want to peek inside!

~~~

Thanks Beth!

If any author would like to participate in On The Outside, please feel free to email me and I can send you all the details.

Follow Friday (3)

2012-01-05T22:39:00.001-06:00

As always, its time for another Follow Friday. This wonderful meme is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. Each friday two blogs are featured in an effort to expand one's blog. Go and check out both of these sites to learn more!

Go count the number of unread books sitting on your shelf. How many?

I have to resort to what my goodreads says. There is NO way I am sifting through all of them tonight! My goodreads says I have 174...but I'm sure there is more.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

2012-01-02T22:10:00.001-06:00

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Pages: 487
My Edition: Hardcover
GoodReads

Cover Rating: A-
Book Rating: A+

Plot - 20/20
Characters - 19/20
Writing - 19/20
Originality - 20/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 98/100

Summary:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Review:

(Prepare for fangirling)

AMAZING! I read this book within 24 hours and it was so amazing, I read it every chance I could get between sleeping, school, and work. 489 pages down within 24 hours. I haven't done that in a really long time.

Honestly, I can't pinpoint anything I disliked about this debut novel. It was brilliant. Every page had utter brilliance on it. I couldn't wait to turn the page to see what was happening yet because I had no idea.

The characters were fantastic. I loved the main character, Beatice or Tris. And, *swoon* Four was incredible. I'm so glad I found out Four was only a nickname, I like it better then his real name anyhow. The leaders, the initiates. Everybody was unique and different and just so incredibly well-done.

Tris was such a great character to be in the mind of for the 489 pages of this novel. I loved Tris to pieces. She is everything I wish I could be.

The writing was fantastic. Just flawless. Veronica Roth is a natural. She's just out of college, it's her debut novel. She has a real gift and I know we'll be seeing a lot from her soon, hopefully!

The whole idea of the novel is something I really wished I had come up with myself. It is so different and so well-done and fantastic.

DIVERGENT has got to be one of the best dystopian novels out there these days.

On The Outside: Eileen Cook (It Returns!)

2012-01-02T07:30:00.000-06:00

On The Outside is an exclusive feature where authors guest blog about how their novels got their cover and/or title.

I'm starting this up, every Monday from now on as long as I can get authors to participate! I love doing OTO and reading the stories and I hope everyone will be glad to see it back!

Thank you very very much to my first author to participate in the new year, Eileen Cook!

Eileen Cook's new novel, Unraveling Isobel, is released tomorrow, January 3rd.

~~~

Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.

But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn’t only her life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’s seeing ghosts.

Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

~~~

Thanks for inviting me to be a part of your blog! WhenI finished this book I was certain I knew what should be on the cover. I pictured a creepy gothic house perched ontop of a cliff overlooking the ocean. I’d been imagining the house in the book for so long I could imagine itperfectly. I’d even drawn floor planswhen writing the book. Of course theproblem with having this type of clear vision, it’s really hard to findsomething in the real world that matches.

I’m incredibly lucky to work with the team at SimonPulse. They always invite me to participate in the cover design process. Theytalk to me not only about what I imagine the cover looking at, but also thefeeling I want the cover to impart. My cover designer, Cara Petrus, wanted tomake sure that the cover had some of the creepy gothic feel, but also wasn’ttoo dark, as the book has humor too. Cara picked up on Isobel’s interest in art and also her feeling of beingtrapped. The concept of her hands being held by her own artwork was perfect.Part of what Isobel struggles with in the book is that she isn’t sure if she isseeing ghosts, if she’s going crazy, or if someone is trying to get rid of herby having everyone believe she’s crazy. For me the cover hints at all of this.

I have to admit that I am vile at coming up with goodtitles. I called this book “the gothic”the entire time I wrote it because I knew it would take me awhile to land onthe right thing. I’ve worked as acounselor and am interested in mental health issues. I think one of the mostdifficult things about having mental illnesses is that you can’t trust your ownperception of reality. How do you cope when you aren’t sure what you see andhear is real? As things become moreconfusing for the main character Isobel, her world, and ability to be confidentof what she sees unravels. While discussing this with my divine editor, AnicaRissi, we realized that was the title right there- Unraveling Isobel.

Thanks again forhaving me. Happy Reading!

~~~

Thank you very much Eileen! I can't wait to read Unraveling Isobel! :)

If any author would like to participate in On The Outside, please feel free to email me and I can send you all the details.

Waiting On Wednesday (46)

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000-06:00

The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Emily M. Danforth
Feb. 7th, 2012

When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief she’ll never have to tell them that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl.
But that relief soon turns to heartbreak, as Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and not making waves, and Cam becomes an expert at this—especially at avoiding any questions about her sexuality.
Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. To Cam’s surprise, she and Coley become best friends—while Cam secretly dreams of something more. Just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, her secret is exposed. Ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not quite sure who that is.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and unforgettable literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules.

Follow Friday (2)

2011-12-15T22:58:00.002-06:00

Q: When you’ve read a book, what do you do with it? (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it..?)

I have a huge attachments to my books. I like having a huge library in my room taking up all my space and I can't seem to part with any of my books, even the ones I really don't like. As a result, I own over 400 books.. I suppose when I move out for college I'll end up giving away/selling a lot of them, but until then I'll going to keep them all!

"Waiting On" Wednesday (45)

2011-12-13T23:50:00.000-06:00

The Statistical Possibility of Love at First Sight
Jennifer E. Smith
January 2, 2012

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18B. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

Shatter Me by Tehereh Mafi

2011-12-10T19:53:00.001-06:00

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tehereh Mafi
Publisher: Harper Teen
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: November 15, 2011
Pages: 338
My Edition: Hardcover
GoodReads

Cover Rating: C+
Book Rating: B

Plot - 16/20
Characters - 17/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 18/20
Entertainment - 8/10
Recommendation - 8/10
Total: 85/100

Summary:

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Review:

SHATTER ME is a very quick and easy read, but it’s also a very unique book because of Mafi’s interesting and enjoyable new writing style. I really enjoyed most of the novel and I think SHATTER ME will, in turn, make a great series. SHATTER ME is novel that has been hyped about for a long while, even before its long-awaited release on November 15th. When I received this book from my library system, I was thrilled to finally start it. I had not really known what this novel was exactly about before I started it. I had just known that she had the power to kill a person just by her hands.

When I began reading, I got just a slight view of the new world that Tehereh Mafi had created. It was very austere and sad, birds didn't even fly anymore. Juliette had been hauled up in this tiny, dark cell for nearly a year. She hadn't spoken in nearly a year (can you even imagine not speaking for a year?), hadn't touched anybody or been touched for even longer than that. She was alone in the asylum, but she had been alone for a long while before she was locked up. That was before Adam came into the picture. Everything changed when Adam entered her life again, for good and for bad.

Tehereh Mafi has a very fascinating writing style. It made the reading experience quite different and entertaining. Her writing style made the tone of the book very dissimilar and extraordinary. The one set back of the novel, is the pace of the novel. It was too fast; I never got enough time to connect with certain aspects of the novel. I would have loved the book to be another hundred pages or so if there was more time explaining the Reestablishment and longer periods of time where Adam and Juliette where alone together, I think that would have made the novel even better.

SHATTER ME is a very quick and easy read, but it’s also a very unique book because of Mafi’s interesting and enjoyable new writing style. I really enjoyed most of the novel and I think SHATTER ME will, in turn, make a great series.

Follow Friday (1)

2011-12-08T23:27:00.001-06:00

Q: Keeping with the Spirit of Giving this season, what book do you think EVERYONE should read and if you could, you would buy it for all of your family and friends?

It would either by Divergent by Veronica Roth or Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

It think Divergent would actually appeal to a lot of readers out there today, but for Anna and the French Kiss, it would probably be more for my best friends. They are both wonderful books that I absolutely loved reading this fall. I can't wait for both of their sequels/prequels.

Since I've been out of her for awhile, I decided to try this since my friend was doing it. Plus it's a great excuse to talk about books!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

2011-12-08T23:16:00.000-06:00

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: December 2, 2010
Pages: 372
My Edition: Hardcover
GoodReads

Cover Rating: C-
Book Rating: A

Plot - 19/20
Characters - 20/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 18/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 95/100

Summary:Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

Review:

I was so not prepared for how much I was going to loveANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. It was absolutely delightful. I honestly cannot say abad word about it.

It started off really pleasantly; I was instantly titillatedwith Anna and why her dad was sending her off to Paris and I really wanted tosee what Paris and SOAP were like. I truthfully just could not put the noveldown from the very first page.

I had read LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR before ANNA ANDTHE FRENCH KISS so I was just counting the words until the amazing, gorgeousEtienne St. Clair came into the picture. Then he and Anna bumped into eachother and I was instantaneously in unconditional love with Etienne St. Clair.He is just... ugh. I cannot say in words how much I loved St. Clair. He is so impeccable. From the very first part where Anna and St. Clair meet, he beatOwen Armstrong for the top position of swoon-worthy literary characters in mybook. I found myself doodling his name in my notebook the day after I finished thenovel. Nobody, real or fiction, has ever made me do that. So, in other words: ILOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Etienne St. Clair.

As for the other aspects of the novel, they werepretty darn close to being as impeccable as St. Clair is. I really loved Anna. Shefelt so real to me, I felt like I could relate to her. Her personality was solikeable and sensible. I probably would have done exactly what she had done inthat situation.

Paris was amazing. I was so jealous that I will neverbe able to experience going to high school in Paris. The backdrop and most ofthe best scenes between Anna and St. Clair took place at such famous andromantic monuments in Paris that it just set the tone for the whole love story.It was not predictable. I didn’tknow when they were going to get together at all. Perkins kept on getting closeat times, and when they still didn’tit was really frustrating, but well worth the wait.

If any literary character, who wasn't created by Sarah Dessen, ended up beating OwenArmstrong in my list of Top Swoon-Worthy Literary Characters, well, theydeserve a cookie. Stephanie Perkins rightfully should get a whole batch ofhomemade chocolate chip caramel cookies because Etienne St. Clair and her wholenovel were incredible. This book deserves every single word of praise it’s received yet far. I cannot wait for ISLA AND THEHAPPILY EVER AFTER next year!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

2011-12-03T16:30:00.000-06:00

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: September 29, 2011
Pages: 338
My Edition: Hardcover
GoodReads

Cover Rating: B+
Book Rating: B

Plot - 16/20
Characters - 18/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 18/20
Entertainment - 9/10
Recommendation - 8/10
Total: 87/100

Summary:Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.
When Cricket - a gifted inventor - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Review:

After hearing so many amazing things about Stephanie Perkins two novels, I went ahead and requested them from my library system. LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR got here first before ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS.

When I first started it, I really didn't know what all the hype was about. It was good; decent. A bit different with Lola's sense of style and personality and her family situation with Nathan, Andy, and Norah was definitely something I hadn't read before. So for the first part of the novel, I was just so-so about it.

But then I got into it even more, and I started loving it even more. Lola is so unique, quirky, and just fun! I really enjoyed Lola being the main character. I really enjoyed hearing about Lola's ambition and her passion for creating and wearing such extravagant costumes. I very much disliked Max from the beginning. I just not a fan of his kind of characters and I saw through him from the very start of the novel. On the otherhand, there is Cricket. He was amazing (minus his name...). He was a very lovely and devoted character. I liked him, but I didn't love him. I liked seeing Lola fall in love with Cricket, but I never fell in love with him.

I think my favorite part of the novel was how original Lola's family was. I have never read about a character with two gay dads, and her biological mom is actually one of her dad's sisters, leaving him as her actual uncle. It was very different, and I loved it!

Stephanie Perkins writing is very refreshing and lively and intelligent. I loved her characters and I loved the setting, (If anyone knows me, they know that I am in love with San Francisco!). I would definitely recommend this novel. The story was modern with a cool twist to the traditional story line. It was a very quirky story that I would hope everyone would fall in love with!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

2011-12-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reading Level: 14+
Publication Date: September 27, 2011
Pages: 464
My Edition: Hardcover
Goodreads

Cover Rating: A-
Book Rating: C

Plot - 17/20
Characters - 15/20
Writing - 15/20
Originality - 15/20
Entertainment - 6/10
Recommendation - 7/10
Total: 75/100

Summary:Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.

Review:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was very different from books I have read before. Before I started reading it, I had thought it was going to be something entirely different then it was. Or shall I say, than how it turned out. It was completely unexpected the way the novel finished. I had no idea that this novel was considered a paranormal suspense. I picked it up thinking it was a coming of age novel about a girl coming to terms with the death of her friends and finding love.

Hodkins' debut novel kept me entranced from the beginning. I wanted to know what had happened with Mara's friends, and I couldn't stop reading because of that. But I also couldn't stop reading because I was really intrigued with Mara as a character. The agony she was in when she found out her very best friend was dead felt very real. My only complaint is that I wish we had gotten to know Rachel better. She was Mara's best friend, but because we saw very little of her throughout the novel, I had no sympathy for her. I wished there had been more mentions or even flashbacks of when and how they became friends, the situation that locked them in as best friends, and, actually, a better mention of how and when Claire and Jude came into the picture would have been a lot better in my mind. I definitely would have had more sympathy for these characters.

Now, Noah. Noah is a very interesting character for me. When he was first introduced I really wasn't feeling anything for him. Then he became more prominent in the story with Mara and I started to fall for his bedhead look. After finishing the novel though, I'm on the fence about him. Something for me just isn't clicking with Noah and the relationship between he and Mara. Which brings me to another point: their relationship. I wasn't a fan of it. As with Noah, it just wasn't going with me like I wished it had. It was insta-love. The present part of the novel took place within weeks of each other and by the novel they were already in love? I just wasn't buying it. Something about it felt...fake, in a way.

I thought that the writing was decent. It kept me intrigued and I liked Mara as a character and how Hodkins showed the pain Mara was going through. The journey to discovering what Mara found out by the end of the book was very interesting, and there were a lot of points in the plot that I really liked. I just felt like they began really nicely, but weren't fulfilled as well as they could have been.

With that said, I still enjoyed the book. I liked Mara. I liked the story and the plot, and I'm very excited to see what happens yet. I wasn't expecting what came upon this novel, but that was okay. In a wider sense, I guess the main problem I had with this novel is that it started out great, it just wasn't completed as well as I had hoped. I am hoping that that can be changed with the second book though. We'll see!

"Waiting On" Wednesday (44)

2011-11-30T23:29:00.001-06:00

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
May 28, 2012

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

Bitter End By Jennifer Brown

2011-11-28T21:53:00.000-06:00

Title: Bitter End

Author: Jennifer Brown

Publisher: Little, Brown

Reading Level: YA, 14+

Publication Date: May 10, 2011

Pages: 359

My Edition: Hardcover

Amazon Page

Cover Rating: C

Book Rating: C-

Plot - 15/20

Characters - 15/20

Writing - 16/20

Originality - 13/20

Entertainment - 6/10

Recommendation - 5/10

Total: 70/100

Summary:
When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole, a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her, she can't believe she's finally found her soul mate-someone who truly understands her and loves her for who she really is.
At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her best friends, Zack and Bethany, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all of her time with another boy? But as the months pass, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats. As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose "love" she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose - between her "true love" and herself.

Review:

This novel was decent. The writing was decent, the story was decent. It was just ... okay. I just felt like I had read the same story before because the characters of Alex and Cole were just so similar to almost every other domestic abuse novel I've read. The subplot about her mother was nice, but it wasn't amazing.

The tone of the book didn't really feel the way it should have. Alex's friends and family didn't even make an effort to help her even when they knew about what was happening to her. Bethany and Zack were supposed to be her best friends, but they weren't, even after they found out was she was going through. They didn't try to help her at all. Her sister knew something, but did she mention it to her dad? No. Her mother-like figure, Georgia, had suspicions, but why didn't she act on it? Obviously, this novel frustrated me.

The character of Alex seemed like almost every character in abuse stories out there. In fact, I did find her quite annoying, even before her relationship started. There wasn't anything unique about her at all. Cole was told to be this perfect, perfect guy, of course, but really he just wanted to get in her pants. There was nothing unique about that. The writing was decent also. I never really got completely absorbed into the novel, nor did the characters entice me enough. The plot went through the stages of domestic abuse alright. Through the whole novel, I was just waiting for something really exciting to happen. It was all slow going and I was looking forward for the one moment where I was rooting for Alex, but, unfortunately, that never happened.

Overall, this book was decent, it kept me reading (mainly because I just wanted to see how it would end). But, truly, this book was very unoriginal compared to other domestic abuse novels out there. I kept saying almost becuase there is one domestic abuse novel that was actually quite original, and I'd recommend it over this novel: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen.

A fresh look.

2011-11-27T22:37:00.000-06:00

For a new beginning.

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

2011-11-27T21:38:00.001-06:00

Title: The Probability of Miracles

Author: Wendy Wunder

Publisher: Razorbill

Reading Level: YA, 14+

Publication Date: December 8, 2011

Pages: 336
My Edition: ARC

Amazon Page

Cover Rating: B-
Book Rating: B-

Plot - 17/20
Characters - 16/20
Writing - 17/20
Originality - 18/20
Entertainment - 7/10
Recommendation - 7/10
Total: 82/100

Summary:
Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out of hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine—a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it’s undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingos in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe—in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

Review:

The beginning was slow-going. I felt like the author expected you to know everything that had happened. She hadn't explained the past leading up to where she was in the present very well either. I just expected to hear more about the disease, what exactly it was, and what had happened throughout it.

I think the biggest fault in this book was the tone. I mean, it's about a girl who needs a miracle to live, right? The tone of the book wasn't sad or depressing, nor funny and entertaining. It was in the odd place in the middle that just made the tone seem plain. She did this, she did that. Not very much expressions at all. There was also the problem with the characters. Wunder tended to time skip a bit to much and not elaborate a lot, so because of that we just weren't able to connect with any of the characters a lot. We barely got to connect with Cam.

With all that said, the book was decent. I liked that idea of it, and if the points mentioned above had been hit a little bit more, I think THE PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES could have been a lovely hit of a book.

Two years coming, but here I am.

2011-11-27T19:43:00.006-06:00

Hi,

So, it's been just about two years since I've posted in my blog. I've thought about my blog a lot over those two years and I've checked in on it a lot. Just to make sure it was still there I guess. Maybe because I knew one day that I would really return here even though at some point I had once told myself that I probably wouldn't.

Life happens. I said that in my last post almost two years ago. Life did happen, in retrospect, I really wasn't in a very stable place in time then. But during the last two years, a lot has happened. I'm not going to go into detail, but I'll just say that I'm much happier now. When I started blogging, I was just a few months into being fourteen. Now I'm seventeen. I was in eighth grade, and now I'm a junior in high school. I've grown up a lot, and I've changed a lot.

Throughout the last two years, whenever I would visit my blog, I would see something that would jut amaze me beyond belief. Every single one of you still were following my blog. Every time I saw that I smile. So thank you.

I'd like to say that I'm going to be back now. I know it won't be like it was before I left. But in a way, I think that might be better. I can go at my own pace. Two years ago, when everything was happening, I really slowed down on my reading. Maybe, maybe, a book a month. If that. That continued on for a long while. I slowly started picking up a bit more, but nothing like when I was blogging.

Now, though, for the past three months or so, I've been reading very consistently. With the help and excitement of my best friend, Kendal, I started reviewing books on my goodreads again. Everyday in our Intro to Business class we would be on the computers, browsing through goodreads because it was one of the websites our school didn't block. I've just become increasingly more into reading and writing again by searching through all the books that I missed from not having kept up with everything. Anyhow, Kendal started her own reviewing blog (you can view it here, she just started and she's doing fantastic already. She's such a talented writer.), and I've been helping her here and there (mostly with HTML) and I noticed myself becoming more and more interesting into reviewing for my blog again.

So here I am. I'm back now and let me tell you that I'm so relieved. It's something I missed so much, you won't ever know. I haven't been here for two years and I know a lot of stuff is different and a lot of new bloggers are here and a lot of them have gone, and I haven't talked to any of you for a very long time, but I'm here now and I hope I can catch up with you all.

But first let me thank any one of you who are reading this. Everyone of my past followers are my inspiration and I would not be here if it weren't for you guys. So thank you.

Sadly . . . I've Decided.

2009-12-14T20:50:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone. Long time no post, right?

I'm sorry about it. I feel like I've left everyone down.

I've written this post to announce something. And that is that, after much thought, I have decided to take a break from blogging indefinitely. I definitely did not want it to come to this, but it has. I wish I could keep posting, but I've tried, and it just hasn't worked out. I feel this is my only option right now if I want to someday (soon hopefully) to start Reading Keeps You Sane up again.

I wish I could tell you why, but the internet is too big of a place to put something private up, so I can't. If you want a better reason, and you know who you are, just email me. I'll be happy to let you know why.

I hate to do this weeks before the two year anniversary of my blog, but it's what it's come to.

So hopefully I can get back to how it was, and become a part of this wonderful community again.

Thanks to my faithful readers, I'm sorry I've let you down.

The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter

2009-11-23T06:52:00.000-06:00

Title: The Snowball Effect
Author: Holly Nicole Hoxter
Publisher: HarperTeen
Reading Level: YA, 12+
Publication Date: March 23, 2010
Pages: 368
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: C+
Book Rating: B-

Plot - 16/20
Characters - 17/20
Writing - 17/20
Originality - 15/20
Entertainment - 8/10
Recommendation - 7/10
Total: 80/100

Summary:

Lainey Pike can tell you everything you need to know about the people in her family just by letting you know how they died. Her reckless stepfather drove his motorcycle off the highway and caused the biggest traffic jam in years. Her long-suffering grandmother lived through cancer and a heart attack before finally succumbing to a stroke. And Lainey's mother--well, Lainey's mother hanged herself in the basement just days after Lainey's high school graduation.
Now Lainey's five-year-old brother is an orphan, and her estranged older sister is moving back home to be his guardian. Meanwhile, Lainey's boyfriend is thinking about having a family of their own, and her best friends are always asking the wrong sorts of questions and giving advice Lainey doesn't want to hear. As she tries to pull away from everything familiar, Lainey meets an intriguing new guy who, through a series of Slurpees, burgers, and snowballs, helps her to make peace with a parent she never understood.

Review:

The Snowball Effect was something I definitely did not expect. But I think the fault for that is the terrible summary to go with the book that is very misleading. I kept on waiting for something that never happened and it was a bit disappointed by that fact. Though it isn't the authors fault it's whoever wrote the summary.

Other then that fact I enjoyed The Snowball Effect. It was somewhat depressing though. Three people in Lainey's family died in less then a year, then right after she graduates she has to become a parent with the sister she never knew to care for her five year old adopted brother who has problems, and it was just all depressing. But there was something about it that I liked. It felt somewhat real, not just realistic, but real. The characters made the book feel like that I think. The characters and the writer were thanks for making the book good.

The plot was a bit of a mess for me. I just don't think the plot was strong enough because it felt like there was barely a plot there to build a story on besides the fact that her mom dies, her sister comes back to take care of her brother, and some guy trouble (Which is really where the summary is very misleading) and a 'field trip' towards of the end of the novel, about a hundred or so pages were really strewn out for the novel. It was very original, I was hoping for something to really 'wow' me about the novel but that never happened.

Overall I think with a bit more plot developement this novel could be a bunch more enjoyable, but otherwise I did enjoy this novel.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa Cover!

2009-11-17T19:41:00.001-06:00

I love the colors and that girl reminds me of someone somewhere.....

Other by Karen Kincy Cover!

2009-11-17T19:39:00.001-06:00

It's a little late, but here it is!

So....

2009-11-17T19:32:00.002-06:00

....I feel terrible. Not like I'm sick or anything. I feel terrible that it's the middle of November (my birthday actually) and I haven't posted one thing yet.

I don't have much of an excuse but school and hanging out with friends (and if you knew me in real life you would understand this better), I joined this club thing at school that's been fun and I've learned a lot and has also kept me busy. But otherwise, I really have no reason other then that I just have been in a different mood that I haven't been in in a long time.

But anyway, I just made a goal that I am going to start posting again, starting with a few cover posts from the Tenners that I missed.

I know some of you probably don't like "Sorry I haven't been posting, I'll do it more, I promise" posts, but I did feel like I needed to explain where I've been. So, that's where this is coming from.

So keep a look out for a few posts soon, I'm going to go finish enjoying my birthday. :)

"Waiting On" Wednesday (43)

2009-10-28T07:39:00.003-05:00

Heist Society by Ally Carter

February 9, 2010

Hyperion

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in history-or at least her family's (very crooked) history.

Cover Remake Contest

2009-10-26T08:07:00.003-05:00

I did these cover remakes for Cindy's contest . . . Enjoy. I had fun making them. I suggest entering it!

The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson Cover!

2009-10-21T06:38:00.002-05:00

I really like this cover, I love that the background has texture to it and the smiley face on the envelope! I really like it!

PS: I know Karen Healey's cover has been about, but I don't think it's *final* yet, so I'm waiting to post it.

On The Outside: Lauren Strasnick

2009-10-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Lauren Strasnick is the debut author of the soon-to-be-release novel, Nothing Like You, tomorrow! She's also part of the class of 2k9! You can visit her at her website here.

~~~

I'm terrible with titles! Just terrible. But the funny thing about this book is that the title came to me quite quickly - half way through the first draft. I had originally called the book "Holly Holy", which is the title of a Neil Diamond song that follows my narrator, Holly, throughout the book, consoling her in times of crisis. My publisher, though, thought "Holly Holy" might mislead potential readers - that it had the ring of religious satire (it does, doesn't it?!). It's also nearly impossible to say! Try saying it now, out loud, ten times and quick! Total mouthful!

My lovely editor, Anica Rissi, then suggested NOTHING LIKE YOU. It's a line pulled straight from the novel, and does a much better job of conveying the overall tone of the book, I think. It's also much easier to say! Nothing Like You... rolls off the tongue, does it not? ;)

The cover is the creation of three talented folks at Simon Pulse: Editor Anica, cover designer Cara Petrus, and photographer Matteo Trisolini. They chose to go model-free, and instead shot a series of still-life scenes from a small toolshed/clubhouse in the book called The Shack. In the full wrap around image you see much more: an open futon with rumpled sheets, a pair of sneakers kicked off, a pair of underwear tossed onto the futon. Then designer Cara pulled together all the images, and added that gorgeous cursive lettering, and there you have it - a cover, born! What I especially love is how vibrant the colors are - it almost looks like an illustration! AND Cara Petrus's perfect penmanship! *Sigh*

~~~

Thanks Lauren!

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

2009-10-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: The Cinderella Society
Author: Kay Cassidy
Publisher: Egmont USA
Reading Level: YA, 12+
Publication Date: April 13, 2010
Pages: 320
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: C-
Book Rating: A

Plot - 19/20
Characters - 16/20
Writing - 17/20
Originality - 20/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 92/100

Summary:

When the Prom Queen becomes your fairy godmother…
Sixteen year old Jess Parker gets the chance of a lifetime: an invitation to join a secret society of popular girls where makeover fantasies become reality. But there’s more to membership in The Cinderella Society than meets the eye. Being a Cindy means reinventing yourself from the inside out, a concept lost on Jess as she dives tiara-first into creating a hot new look.
Be careful what you wish for.
Jess’s transformation wins her the heart of the Varsity quarterback and a shot at uber-popularity. Until the Wickeds–led by Jess’s arch enemy–begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers the real force behind her exclusive society. It’s a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and the Cindys in power need Jess on special assignment. When the mission threatens to destroy her dream life come true, Jess is forced to choose between living a fairy tale and honoring the Sisterhood… and herself. What’s a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn’t want to wear it anymore?

Review:

The Cinderella Society was unlike anything I have ever read before. It was unique and deeply inspirational like Kay Cassidy herself. The Cinderella Society might be a novel about the mean girls taking avantage of the weak kids. But it was also a novel about a girl finding herself and living to the potential of herself and helping take the mean girls down. It was simply extroadinary!

The beginning was a very nice start to a series. It began excellent and was a nice start up for the rest of the novel; showing what a bit of what it was like for Jess at school and dealing with her arch-enemy Lexy, but it wasn't strung along. It was the perfect amount to see what it was like and then we were blown into the world of the Cindy's (the good girls). The Cindy's are pretty much a group of high school girls who are saints. But the Cindy's aren't just in this town the book takes place in. The Cindy's are worldwide. The Cindy's help the kids who aren't the apart of anything from the Wickeds (the mean girls). It's completely original and highly enjoyably.

The one little problem with The Cinderella Society is that I don't think we got to see Jess in her homelife enough. I think if we had we would of been able to really relate to Jess more and view her as more realistic and deep. So other then seeing a bit more in Jess's life and maybe some of the other characters, I really had no problem with the novel.

The writing was great, the plot was fantastic, it was original, entertaining, and deeply inspirational. A wonderful debut novel with encouragement to be the best you can possibly be, a very true novel that will be loved.

Notice:

2009-10-11T17:16:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to say something really quick. I'm completely behind on my email, and I know pretty much everyone who emails me reads my blog, so I just wanted to do a blog post to everyone awaiting email replies from me. I've been pretty busy, extremely tired (like bedtime at nine o'clock tired!), and I'm a bit sick now too.

And while I'm somewhat on the subject, and yes I know some of you hate those posts of why I haven't been posting and all, and I'm pretty sure you've noticed the emptiness of my blog for the last week or so, but the truth is that ever since school started I haven't been able to finish a book, that might be a reason, but the reason also might be that ever since I finished reading FIRE by Kristin Cashore, which just blew me away, no book has really come to my attention and I haven't been able to keep reading it. Yes, FIRE was that good. So anybody want to suggest anything to me? Like a book that would make it so I don't want to stop reading? My goodreads page is in the linkbar above my header. And thanks in advance. Like really, I know if I just read a book that can excite me again like FIRE did, I'd be back in my reading habit again.

Thanks, my faithful readers. I can't wait to get back in the groove of things again.

I'll Just Stop in Here to Say . . .

2009-10-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

. . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY KHY!

You are made of AWESOME!

Have a fantastic birthday!!!!

Love ya!

Winner of FIRE by Kristin Cashore!

2009-10-02T17:53:00.003-05:00

I had a total of 41 entrants and 77 entries! I total success I think!

I used random.org to determine the winner, sadly the winner didn't leave an email address I could reach her at, and I specifically said to leave an email address in the post or else they would be deleted from the contest, I'm sorry to say it. So I had to pick a new winner, and they happened to be:

Shawna Lewis!

Congratulations Shawna you have won a signed finished copy of FIRE by Kristin Cashore! I will be emailing you before tomorrow and you have before the end of the weekend to email me back with an address so the publisher can get the book out to you!

Now, I asked what you could do if you were named Fire, I had a blast reading the fantastic answers and they made me laugh, which is what I was going for!

Shawna answered:

If my name was fire it would suit me because I have such a enter fire burning bright all the time so Fire fit me Perfect that or Sunshine!!

And a few others I enjoyed.

Chelsie said:

If my name were fire, I could go to your school and burn all your homework. Or torch some crabby teacher's butts... whichever would make you less stressed =P

Sara said:

If my name was Fire, I'd cause a lot of accidental fire alarms when my friends come running after me (trying to catch up because I'm a fast walker) yelling my name. People would see them running and yelling "Fire!" and think there was a real fire... :)

Thao said:

If my name was Fire... if someone ever accidently sit on me, my friends can tell that person, "you're on Fire"

Julie Ke said:

If my name was Fire, I would dye my hair three different colors of fiery red, and learn how to fire dance.

Of course they were all great, you can click here to read them all.

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus Cover!

2009-10-02T07:33:00.002-05:00

I really love this cover! It's great! I love the colors, the flame, and the font, I would pick it up in an instant!

Prophecy of Days by Christy Raedeke Cover!

2009-09-30T18:19:00.005-05:00

I LOVE IT! There is just something about this cover. I think it's the colors and the text, but I happen to AB-SO-LUTE-LY love this cover!

ETA: Okay, blogger is being stupid. I uploaded the image and for some reason it wasn't the right hue, instead it was this weird olive green color. So, instead, click HERE, so you can see the cover! I'll try again later to see if it works.

ETA Again: ARGH! Apparently LIVEJOURNAL is being stupid along with BLOGGER! GAH! So I cannot link to the cover, unless you want the one with the olive hue? stupidstupidstupid What you can do, I guess, is go to The Tenners and scroll down until you get to the Christy's cover. Sorry!

Eeek!

2009-09-30T18:08:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!

This summer the ever-so-lovely Kay Cassidy invited me to be apart of her Booklover of the Week feature on her amazing-fantastical-most-awesomeist blog, You 2.0, and I'm finally up! I'm excited and nervous at the same time!

So go on over and try to guess my lie on the three truths and lie part at the end of the post, and even for commenting you get entered into some fabulous contests!

Go-Go-Go! Here: Booklover of the Week

"Waiting On" Wednesday (42)

2009-09-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn

January 12th, 2010

Knopf Books for Yound Readers

Very LeFreak has a problem: she’s a crazed technology addict. Very can’t get enough of her iPhone, laptop, IMs, text messages, whatever. If there’s any chance the incoming message, call, text, or photo might be from her supersecret online crush, she’s going to answer, no matter what. Nothing is too important: sleep, friends in mid-conversation, class, a meeting with the dean about academic probation. Soon enough, though, this obsession costs Very everything and everyone. Can she learn to block out the noise so she can finally hear her heart?

Rachel Cohn makes her Knopf solo debut with this funny, touching, and surely recognizable story about a girl and the technology habit that threatens everything.

The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell Cover! Plus: Calling All Tenners!

2009-09-29T21:38:00.004-05:00

It's here! It's here! And to quote Khy, It's EFFING FIERCE! Love it!

Also, I just wanted to do a shout out to any soon-to-be authors who have their debut books coming out in 2010 who read this blog. I just wanted to let you know, if you haven't heard of this awesome community, or you have an is too nervous to join, about this INCREDIBLE YA livejournal community for the debut authors of 2010 called the, if it's not obvious enough, Tenners. Anyway, there last day to join in this Thursday, so hurryhurryhurry! You do not want to miss out on the stalking/fangirling/drooling that us bloggers do over your debut books. I don't know about the rest of you bloggers, but I *heart* debut* books.

Here's the post where the awesome tenner, Lindsey Leavitt, tells you a bit of details and gives you the link to join!

Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

2009-09-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Nothing Like You
Author: Lauren Strasnick
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: October 20, 2009
Pages: 224
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: B+
Book Rating: B+

Plot - 17/20
Characters - 19/20
Writing - 19/20
Originality - 16/20
Entertainment - 9/10
Recommendation - 9/10
Total: 89/100

Summary:

"You think he’s yours but he’s not, I thought. You think he’s yours but really he’s mine.”

When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly, and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly’s mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she’s getting desperate to feel something, anything—so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul’s kisses are a welcome diversion, and it’s nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.

But things aren’t so simple with Saskia around. Paul’s real girlfriend is willowy and perfect… and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly’s choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had.

Review:

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick read, but it was also a very enjoyable book. A very easy book to get into and like. It started right after the deed was done and you got a feel of the awkwardness to it all. There was enough time to really know what Holly is really like and why she was doing it.

Lauren Strasnick's writing style is incredibly refreshing it easy going. I loved going back to her writing and will definitely look for it in the future. Strasnick's characters were developed perfectly with flaws and emotions you can relate to. Everything about Strasnick's characters appeared completely realistic and laid-back.

The plot had a little twist to it, with the fact that Holly becomes friends with Paul's girlfriend Saskia and that just makes what she is doing with Paul a bigger mess. The ending was a bit predictable, but it fit with the story.

I was really entertained by this novel and with Strasnick's easy-going and refreshing writing style and impeccably made characters, Nothing Like You hits a home-run. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to Strasnick's future work very much.

Excellent Banned Book Week Post

2009-09-28T21:31:00.002-05:00

I'll go ahead now and direct you over to fellow book blogger, The Book Munchers, blog where she bravely takes on a post about the controversy for the book Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner, which was released in May from Random House.

I read this book over the summer after I bought it. I haven't reviewed it yet because it was on my personal bookshelf instead of review but I have to say that I did enjoy this book and I completely agree with what Rachael says in her post.

I haven't posted about Banned Books Week, but I'm sure it's safe to say that I like everybody else in the book blogging community am strongly against banning books.

I enjoyed reading Rachael's post and congratulate her for sharing it with it.

Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien Cover!

2009-09-27T19:09:00.001-05:00

Formally known as The Baby Code and The Orion Tattoo, this is the cover of Birthmarked by tenner Caragh O'Brien. I think it's really neat.

IMM Update

2009-09-27T18:31:00.003-05:00

I thought I should update on this because I haven't posted one in three weeks. The thing is because I've only gotten three books, one of them being BALLAD by Maggie Stiefvater, I haven't read Lament, but I read Shiver and I loved it! Then I got this kind of graphic novel from scholastic that's like a how to book about dating vampires or something? I don't remember the title. Then I got a package from my grandma with a writing book in it that I'm very excited about along with some pictures that she developed that we took over my summer in California! That made me happy. But otherwise, that's it, I didn't feel the need to post a post for only one book. Sorry! Hopefully next week I'll get something!

Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan

2009-09-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

Title: Love is the Higher Law
Author: David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: August 25, 2009
Pages: 176
My Edition: Hardcover
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: B
Book Rating: C

Plot - 17/20
Characters - 15/20
Writing - 15/20
Originality - 17/20
Entertainment - 7/10
Recommendation - 7/10
Total: 78/100

Summary:

First there is a Before, and then there is an After. . .

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption as his characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever.

Review:

This was my first book by David Levithan and I had some problems with it. I don't know if it was his writing, or just the characters he created but they just didn't fly by me greatly. I was definitely not impressed by this novel.

Reading about September 11th, 2001 usually makes me cry. I went into this novel expecting to cry, but I didn't. I was far from crying actually. Levithan's writing did not make me feel like I was there, the characters felt unreal to me. Levithan's writing just didn't have the right feel I think this novel should have had; it was realistic. That left me disappointed.

I did like how this novel was spread over a few years after 9/11. We got a look at how people who were there deal with it years after. When 9/11 happened, I lived in Germany where my dad was stationed in the military. I was in the first grade. I don't remember but a minutes of that day. So I really appreciated a fiction book about people affected by it in a much bigger way then I was.

Overall, the only thing I really cared for about this novel was what it was about, the fact that it centered around 9/11 and the look in several peoples lives from it. Otherwise I was disappointed by the feel of the novel and the two dimensional characters.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

2009-09-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Hush, Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Reading Level: YA, 12+
Publication Date: October 13, 2009
Pages: 400
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: A+
Book Rating: B+

Plot - 17/20
Characters - 16/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 19/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 9/10
Total: 89/100

Summary:

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen -- and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

Review:

I was so incredibly excited to read this book. I mean, just look at that cover, that summary! Everything sounded amazing (besides Patch's name, is it just me or does someone else agree with me that this name is just, bad?). So when I started Hush, Hush I had some expectations. And . . . my expectations fell short.

Hush, Hush was definitely not what I expected. Which disappointed me a little bit. I expected something entirely different from what Hush, Hush is. Maybe it's my fault for not reading the summary carfully or maybe it's whomever wrote the summary's fault. But Hush, Hush didn't meet the expectations I had set for it. Besides that, Hush, Hush was a really good novel.

It got to the plot point a little bit slow, not too slow because I obviously kept reading. But it did save up enough suspense for the big reveal for Nora (since we all know what Patch is from the summary). The characters didn't seem as realistic (the human characters) as they could have been and some (the fallen angel characters) were a little awkward. Though there was a really interesting twist with Patch that I would like to say, but I don't want to spoil it so I won't.

The book was very original. I have yet (before reading this novel) read a book about fallen angels, so that was very interesting concept. It was very entertaining. I recommend this novel if you would like a unique book about something that hasn't been done yet (or very little, at least).

"Waiting On" Wednesday (41)

2009-09-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Harcourt Childrens Books

April 1, 2010

It's been over a month since Miranda Evans has written in her diary, a month of relative calm for her and her family. It's springtime, and with warmer weather comes rain, and the melting of the winter's snow. The shad are running in a nearby river, and Miranda's brothers Matt and Jon leave home for a few days to see if they can catch some to supplement their food supply.

When they return, Matt brings with him a girl named Syl, who he introduces as his bride. But that's not the only shock Miranda and her family have to deal with. A few weeks later, Miranda's father, stepmother, and baby brother show up at her door. Accompanying them are three strangers, a man named Charlie Rutherford, and two teenagers, Alex and Julie Morales. These five people have crossed America together, becoming, in their own way, a family.

Miranda's complicated feelings about Alex, curiosity, resentment, longing, and passion turn into love. Alex's feelings are equally complex. His plans to escort Julie to a convent where she can be taken care of, so that he will be free to enter a monastery, are destined for failure. He wants desperately to live up to his moral code, but his desire for Miranda is too strong. He proposes to Miranda that they take Julie and go to a safe town.

But before Miranda and Alex can go off together, a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and in its aftermath, Miranda makes a decision that will change forever her life and Alex's, and the world that they live in will never be the same.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

2009-09-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: How to Say Goodbye In Robot
Author: Natalie Standiford
Publisher: Scholastic
Reading Level: YA, 12+
Publication Date: October 1, 2009
Pages: 288
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: B
Book Rating: A

Plot - 18/20
Characters - 18/20
Writing - 19/20
Originality - 17/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 92/100

Summary:

New to town, Beatrice is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day. But instead, the alphabet conspires to seat her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet loner who hasn't made a new friend since third grade. Something about him, though, gets to Bea, and soon they form an unexpected friendship. It's not romance, exactly - but it's definitely love. Still, Bea can't quite dispel Jonah's gloom and doom - and as she finds out his family history, she understands why. Can Bea help Jonah? Or is he destined to vanish?

Review:

Let me first say: I absolutely loved this book. It was just such a nice, refreshing novel that made me extremely happy to read. Natalie Standiford is a brilliant writer. She drew me into Bea's word incredibly quickly and I didn't want to stop reading!

I really adored the simple plot of this novel. It was cute and nice and I absolutely loved the radio show and the people, it was just extroadinary, the characters they are. Standiford was able to craft so many different and bizarre personalities in these characters that just made her a master-mind.

The writing was genuine, believable, and soft. It was natural and it was just gorgoues writing overall. I was happy how the end came about it, was happy, yet, it was sad. But it felt like it was the right ending.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot was a genuine, cute, and natural novel that I fell hard in love with. I can pretty much guarantee that you will too. I deeply recommend it.

Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala Cover!

2009-09-21T18:14:00.004-05:00

I don't think she's in the official tenner community, but she is a technically a tenner (I think). Her debut book premieres in 2010 so I'm think I'm good to post this. Plus the cover is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS so I had to. Holly is also one of the readergirlz!

On The Outside: Lucienne Diver

2009-09-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Lucienne Diver is the author of the novel, Vamped (May 1, 2009). You can visit Lucienne at her website here.

~~~

Kelsey, thanks so much for asking me to guest blog! I first want to say that I love your blog title! Reading certainly has kept me sane. (Well, I think so anyway. Others may beg to differ.) I don’t know how I would have survived childhood without the chance to escape into a good book and have daring adventures through the eyes of others. It’s not that my childhood was so terrible, mind you! My family was wonderful, but I grew up a very severe asthmatic, in and out of the hospital all the time. Well, let me tell you, hospitals are not terribly happening places. The nurses are nice, but they can’t exactly spend the day entertaining you and the television only gets four lousy channels, half of them news. So books were truly a godsend.

I don’t know when I first started creating stories of my own. It might have been one of the many times I was punished for fighting with my sister, forced to sit staring at the wall until I apologized. I’m remarkably stubborn and, of course, in my mind she’d started it. My punishments tended to go on for hours. (My father was equally stubborn.) With nothing else to do, my mind wandered, naturally down the paths of fiction and daring do.

I didn’t exactly sit down to write Vamped, though I’m certainly glad I did! One day my heroine, Gina Covello, began talking in my head and nothing I could do would banish her. I tried giving her a short story. She wanted more. So I gave her a novel. Nope, not enough. A series? Well, she’ll be satisfied with that…for now. Funny that I write characters who out-stubborn me. Anyway, that was how Vamped came to be. For my sanity I had to give myself over to the whims of my character. If I hadn’t, she’d have haunted me until the end of my days.

When Gina was just a glimmer in my eye, her story was called “Unlife Stye,” since she’s a teen fashionista on whom I visit true horror in the form of eternity without tanning options or any reflection with which to fix her hair and make-up. But my agent didn’t love it, and I didn’t blame her. I played around with all kinds of awful puns (Stake Your Life, Biter Babe, etc.) and finally settled on Vamped. Though, looking back, I kinda like Biter Babe. Hmm, maybe for Book 3? (Book 2, Revamped, will be out in 2010).

My agent actually came up with the great tagline used on the cover, “Eternity needs an entourage.” Oh, and that cover! Gina would be so proud. It’s fabulous! It’s funny, people compliment it all the time and I say, “Thank you!” of course, but I actually had nothing at all to do with it. My wonderful publisher, Flux, [Link:http://www.fluxnow.com/] did ask me for ideas, and I threw a bunch their way, send sample covers I would love mine to look at, like Rachel Vincent’s Rogue or Rosemary Clement-Moore’s wonderful Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil books, but in the end the cover they came up with was truly unique. I absolutely adore it! (My only thought on seeing it was that Gina would never go out in public with those nails – too stubby! Then I realized that she’d just clawed her own way out of the grave, so she’d probably cut herself some slack.)

Anyway, I hope all those reading it have as much fun as I did writing it! If so, I’d love for you to give me a shout out via my website: www.luciennediver.com. Thanks!

~~~

Thanks Lucienne!

Thank YOU!

2009-09-19T16:32:00.006-05:00

Sometime from yesterday, Friday, at 6 pm to today, Saturday, at 4:32 pm I went from being at 299 followers to being at 305 followers! Imagine how shocked and pleased I was!

I don't know how much to thank all of you, my fabulous wonderful followers! It means so much to me that people other then me read this blog, haha. My blog means the world to me and to have all of you amazing, intelligent people following my every word, it means more then you will every know.

I wish I could thank each and every one of you separately but, alas, I can't. I wish I could have this huge extravangant giveaway, but I don't have money for shipping or anything exciting to give away. So I guess I'll have to stick with a just a stong THANK YOU! I'm sorry there isn't anything else I could do to thank you for reading my blog, but just know that it means the world and more to me.

Fire by Kristin Cashore

2009-09-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Fire
Author: Kristin Cashore
Publisher: Dial
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: October 5, 2009
Pages: 480
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: A-
Book Rating: A(+)

Plot - 19/20
Characters - 19.5/20
Writing - 20/20
Originality - 20/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 98.5/100

Summary:

Fire, Graceling's prequel-ish companion book, takes place across the mountains to the east of the seven kingdoms, in a rocky, war-torn land called the Dells.

Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story.
***MINOR GRACELING SPOILER***
Wondering what makes it a companion book/prequel? Fire takes place 30-some years before Graceling and has one cross-over character with Graceling, a small boy with strange two-colored eyes who comes from no-one-knows-where, and who has a peculiar ability that Graceling readers will find familiar and disturbing...
***END MINOR GRACELING SPOILER***

Review:

How can a book be so outstanding? Kristin Cashore has done it again. I swear, I would do anything to get inside her mind, Graceling was phenomenal, Fire was outstanding, what else can we expect from her? Kristin Cashore is a writing goddess!

If you remember from my Graceling review, you might recognize that they have the same 98.5/100 rating, but for different reasons. In Graceling, the plot was .5 ahead of the characters. But for Fire, the characters got the .5 this time. If asked which one I love the most, I could not decide. Graceling had the fantastic plot that I favored over the characters, but Fire I favor the characters slightly more then the plot.

Fire was one of the most extroadinary characters I have ever seen. Her internal fight with herself about several things, was incredible. Her mind controling the humans, everything about her was incredible. It wasn't just her. I loved every single character in the book. I though Archer brought something great to the story. And Brigan was just fantastic too. Every character was just sensational.

The plot for Fire took a slower pace with not so much exciting scenes as Graceling had. It was a fine pace to it, and the characters really brightened the book up, but Fire was much more a character driven novel, with several suspense scenes that really made the novel. It was great, I loved the ending entirely too much.

Several things that were the same as Graceling were the astounding writing that of Kristin Cashore. The incredible originality of it all, the entertainment and my recommendation for it, were all the same. Fantastic, everything, it is definitely tied with Graceling for my favorite book read this year. Not one bad thing to say about Fire, it was amazing.

Getting To Know The Characters of FIRE: Contest!

2009-09-18T12:00:00.001-05:00

Did you see the post before this? Do you want a chance to win Fire by Kristin Cashore? Keep reading to learn how!

How to enter:

To win the signed hardcover of Fire leave a comment sharing what you could do because your name is Fire. Be creative! I've had a very stressful second week of school, I could use a pick-me-up. :)

For 1 extra entry blog about this post.
For 1 extra entry tweet about this post with the hashtag #firetour and @reply me @kelseybee17.

For 2 extra entries comment on my reviews of Graceling from yesterday and come back tomorrow to comment on my review for Fire.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the United States only. Sorry International readers!

ATTENTION:

All commenters must only have one comment on this post with an added up total of how many extra entries you recieved with the appropriate links and information along with your name and a email address. If it is not in this format the comment will be deleted.

The giveaway will end October 1st at 11:59 pm Central Time.

Getting To Know The Characters of FIRE: Tour!

2009-09-18T00:00:00.003-05:00

Today marks the fifth stop on the tour for Fire. Kristin Cashore is visting a blog every weekday for three weeks from September 14 through October 2 for the release of her second novel, the prequel to Graceling (my review here), Fire. I'm only stop five, so be sure to check out the four others and the ten other blogs featuring Fire in the coming two weeks by clicking the icon below. (If the link doesn't work, click here.)

If you haven't heard of Fire yet (How deep is that hole you've been living in?) then let me give you a little refresher. Fire is the companion novel to Graceling, which I absolutely loved. Fire has recieved 5 star reviews and is pretty much brilliant. You can check out my review for Fire tomorrow. Here's the summary:

Fire, Graceling's prequel-ish companion book, takes place across the mountains to the east of the seven kingdoms, in a rocky, war-torn land called the Dells.

Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story.

This tour is all about getting to know the characters of Fire, and I if I might say so myself, if I didn't get Fire or Brigan, I sure as heck am glad that I got Lord Cansrel and King Nax. Two in one. So here's what Kristin had to say about those two:

Lord Cansrel, Fire’s father, is dead, and so is his best friend, King Nax; and the world is better off for it. A monster in form and in feeling, Cansrel used his beauty and his mental power to get whatever he wanted; and all he ever wanted was pleasure. He and Nax sure made a mess of the Dells. Don’t believe me? Just look at the way things are today!

How great is that? If that doesn't make you want to read Fire, then I don't know what will . . . Oh. Wait! How about this?:

Fire by Kristin Cashore height="500" width="100%" > value="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=18299444&access_key=key-rtqj35ynmiqa1prkcr2&page=1&version=1&viewMode=">

And here's also the countdown widget for Fire:

Firegreat free widgetsWidgetbox

So how's that? I'm sure you probably really really want Fire now right? Well, stay tuned for a chance to win a signed finished copy of Fire . . .

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

2009-09-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: October 1, 2008
Pages: 480
My Edition: Hardcover
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: B+
Book Rating: A(+ even though my ratings don't agree :))

Plot - 19.5/20
Characters - 19/20
Writing - 20/20
Originality - 20/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 98.5/100

Summary:

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight; she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po. She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace--or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away. . .a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Review:

This is quite possibly one of the best books I've ever read. It has recieved the highest rating on my blog yet (not counting Marley and Me because that was a memoir). Graceling was just phenomenal! From start to finish it was just an incredible book that I just didn't want to stop. I wished I could just keep reading it forever!

Kristin Cashore has possibly written the best debut book I have ever read before. And even better because she created almost everything from scratched. She created a kingdom, a new world, a new lifestyle. A way of speaking, crazy names! It was created brilliantly and put out even better. I can't possibly say one bad thing about Kristin Cashore's writing or the world she created, it was all excellent.

The plot was exciting. It took just a chapter or two to get me into it and get to know what was going on and how everything worked in that world, but after that, you couldn't pry me away from it. My hands were glued! I've always loved adventure/survival type stories and this one was just so marvelous. It had the perfect pace. It was exciting, sad, happy, suspenseful, and I could just keep going and going. It was amazing, period.

The characters were fabulous. I loved Katsa, and then Po, my gosh. Every character was so unique and interesting in their own way. I loved the point of view Cashore approached this book with . . .

Quite honestly, I loved pretty much everything about this book. It was fantastic, it is at the very top of my favorite books list, and I think everything by Cashore will be up there. Graceling was one exceptional, astounding, sensational book, one of the best I've ever read.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (40)

2009-09-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Forget You by Jennifer Echols

July 2010

MTV Books

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.

Positively by Courtney Sheinmel

2009-09-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Positively
Author: Courtney Sheinmel
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reading Level: MG, 10+
Publication Date: September 15, 2009
Pages: 224
My Edition: Hardcover
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: A+
Book Rating: B

Plot - 18/20
Characters - 16/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 19/20
Entertainment - 8/10
Recommendation - 9/10
Total: 88/100

Summary:

Emerson Price cannot remember a time when life was ordinary. She was four-years-old when she and her mom were diagnosed as HIV-positive – infected with the virus that causes AIDS, and eight when her parents divorced. Now she is thirteen and her mother is dead. Emmy moves in with her father and stepmother, but she feels completely alone. Even though everyone has always accepted her, no one – not her father, or stepmother, or even her best friend – understands what it’s like to have to take medicine every single day, to be so afraid of getting sick, and to miss her mom more than she ever thought she would.
When Emmy’s dad and stepmother send her to Camp Positive, a camp for HIV-positive girls, Emmy is certain she is going to hate it. But soon she realizes that she is not so alone after all – and that sometimes letting other people in can make all the difference in the world.
The author is donating a portion of her proceeds from this book to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

Review:

Positively was a remarkable book about a girl who is HIV-positive dealing with the death of her mother from the AIDS disease. This book detailed what someone goes through when they are HIV-positive with-out making it seem like a book listing information. It was a girl learing to see herself without the HIV effecting every though and desicion of her life. It was a wonderful book that was heartbreaking but also enlightening and true.

This book was MG, and I normally don't read MG books because of the fact that I always think that authors don't protray the age of twelve or thirteen as twelve and thirteen year olds really are. In Positively I had that problem. I was thirteen not too long ago (Shh...) and I felt that Emmy was protrayed younger then she really is. That bothered me.

Other then that, this book was great. It was a nice slow start before transition right after her mom died, going to the funeral and moving into her dad and stepmothers house and starting school again, we got to see Emmy in her worst state. Then she went to Camp Positive and we saw the steps it took Emmy to see herself without the HIV taking over her every though about every little thing from talking about cute celebrity guys to wondering if life is even worth it. It was a great change and to see Emmy make it was wonderful.

The characters were very realistic (besides Emmy and her classmates seeming younger then they are) and the writing was very good. It was original and the plot was very developed and flowed nicely throughout.

If that's not a reason to buy this book when it comes out on September 15th then how about the fact that some of the proceeds that Courtney Sheinmel makes of this book will go into the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. It for a great cause!

And may I also say that the Author's Note in the back of the book was just heartbreaking. It was a short and sweet look at the authors reasons of writing this book and I think it was more agonizingly sad then the novel was because it was real. That always gets me.

On The Outside: Sydney Salter

2009-09-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Sydney Salter is the debut author of the hilarious My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters
~~~

The title just popped into my head right before I started writing. What else could I call a book about a girl who hates her nose and experiences one disastrous event after another? I loved my title, yet, I found myself blushing every time I told someone. I don’t exactly have the smallest nose… I felt like saying my book title drew attention to my own nose. And sometimes it does. “So you think you have a big nose?” more than one person has asked. I mutter something like, “well, yes, but the book is fictional.” Some people feel compelled to tell me that I don’t have a big nose. I don’t know what to say to that either. Um, thank you?

There was a brief moment when my publisher’s marketing team considered shortening the title to My Big Nose (so it wouldn’t be confused as a book of short stories). I freaked out! I could just imagine people asking my book’s title, me blurting out, “My Big Nose!” The person’s forehead would crinkle with confusion. “No, I asked about your book not your face.” I also thought the humor in the title came from the And Other Natural Disasters part. So they added the words “A Novel” at the top of the cover. Phew!

The funny thing is that my title has forced me to really deal with my feelings about my own nose (my inner 17-year-old is still absolutely horrified). I do sometimes laugh out loud when I get emails with BIG NOSE in the subject line. I hear a sitcom-style mafia guy saying, “Hey, you, you with the big nose. You’ve got an email.”

I love my cover! The brilliant, amazing, beautiful, talented, charming, and artistic Carol Chu of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt designed it. I love the way the Barbie serves as a metaphor for the perfection my main character seeks. I also think the spine is so cute! (My name covers the Barbie’s nose.) I like the colors used too. I did not have input on the cover, which is a good thing since I have trouble figuring out what color to paint my walls and I need a lot of saleslady help when I buy clothes.

I also love having my own Barbie at last! My feminist mother refused to purchase Barbie dolls. I played with the dorky Sunshine Family who had big feet, flat chests, and drove a hippie van so they could sell macramé owls at craft fairs or something. I haven’t bought my book any outfits yet, but I am thinking I might get it that cool pink convertible...

~~~

Thanks Sydney!

The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard Tweaked Cover!

2009-09-12T15:38:00.005-05:00

Here's the cover that the publisher tweaked a bit. You can see more of the faces now, the title has a different font and is bigger and there is now a tagline. I personally like the other one a bit better because I think the fonts that they now use don't fit as well with the book (which is BRILLIANT, FYI). I also think now that you can see the faces more, it's a bit awkward.

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken Cover!

2009-09-12T15:27:00.002-05:00

I've seen this several times but i couldn't find a complete jpeg of it online, but it's here now and I personally love it!

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly Cover!

2009-09-12T15:26:00.003-05:00

Here's the cover! I don't think it's completely final, Tara said they are still working on the title font, but it's pretty final I think. What do you think?

The Mark by Jen Nadol New Cover!

2009-09-12T15:24:00.002-05:00

The Mark had an cover, but there was a close lookalike to it so it got a new cover and here it is. Do you like it? I love it.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

2009-09-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

Title: Hate List
Author: Jennifer Brown
Publisher: Little, Brown
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Pages: 416
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: B
Book Rating: A-

Plot - 18/20
Characters - 19/20
Writing - 20/20
Originality - 17/20
Entertainment - 7/10
Recommendation - 9/10
Total: 90/100

Summary:

it was just a list. nobody was supposed to die...
Five months ago, Valerie Leftman’s boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saves the life of a classmate, but is implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things they hated. The list her boyfriend used to pick his targets.
Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

Review:

Before I started Hate List I had heard fantastic things of it, so my expectations were very high for it. Though it was a heartbreaking, amazing, incredible, etc. book, my expectations weren't met, though they were extremely close.

Let me first say that this is a very character-driven novel. The characters were impeccable and incredibly realistic. The writing was wonderful, Jennifer Brown is a fantastic debut author that definitely can write emotional books with great depth. Brown had an amazing voice to this novel.

The one problem I had in this novel is, that, I guess, it didn't really 'wow' me as I had expected. I don't really know what brought this to me, but I just didn't feel so amazed as other reviewers were.

Knowing that, though, doesn't change the fact that this novel is a marvellous novel that was just pitch perfect.

TAC Icons

2009-09-10T00:00:00.002-05:00

The icons made below were made by me for the wonderful author Kay Cassidy, who is hosting a contest to make an icon for her fantastic year-long Teen Author Challenge on her blog, You 2.0. I made all of these below for the contest, which do you like that best?

"Waiting On" Wednesday (39)

2009-09-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

January 5, 2010

St. Martin's Griffin

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard–-falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome. And just like the other members of this all girl clique, she was both feared and revered by the students of Hallowell High... that is until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around. Now she's been "frozen out" and her ex-friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth, and the bullying is getting more intense by the day.

Out of desperation, she takes solace in the companionship of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship–and eventually romance–doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina makes amends for her past, a bond begins to form, while threats from the Fearsome Foursome are poised to break them both.

Back to School I Go . . .

2009-09-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

So today is the first day of school. I'm starting my freshmen year of high school. I'm not really nervous about being in High School because my High School is grades 7-12 so I've unofficially been in High School for two years now, but now I'm officially in High School. Now is when it really counts towards everything. I have to start racking up those credits and doing the best I can, that part I think is the part I'm the most nervous about.

My schedule somewhat sucks. I have gym/health the first hour of the day. Gym should seriously be illegal in the first hour of the school, really. But whatever. I get to do a whole year of Art though which I am extremely excited for. I haven't done Art since the first semester of seventh grade.

Anyway, wish me luck. I have posts scheduled from now until Friday while I get adjusted to getting up at 6:30 again.

On The Outside: Cyn Balog

2009-09-07T00:00:00.002-05:00

Cyn Balog is the author of the debut novel, Fairy Tale. You can visit Cyn at her website here.

~~~

The cover story for Fairy Tale is pretty simple. I had some ideas (nightmares?) about what my cover might look like, but I was really hoping for something more iconic and less literal. I had this sinking feeling they’d throw a picture of a guy with wings on the cover (see attached pic), which brought me several sleepless nights. Luckily, the second I opened that jpg on my computer, I fell in love. It’s so beautiful, and I think that nearly every day someone tells me that. In fact, I haven’t heard anything negative yet.

The title story for Fairy Tale is a bit more involved. For over a year after I sold the book in November of 2007, the plan was to call it Fairy Lust. I’d had that title, actually, before the book was written in early 2007. It just popped into my head, sounded pretty cool, and so I started wondering, “What could a book with that title be about?” Since all the books I’d ever read were about girls who learn that they’re fairies, I thought it would be fun to shake things up. In Fairy Lust, the guy would be the fairy, and his girlfriend would defend him by attempting to keep him human. So I wrote the draft and for nearly two years, I called it Fairy Lust. Everyone seemed to love the title; I heard that people at Random House were running around saying, “We love lust!”

Then, late December 2008, I got a call. It seems that quite a few bookstore reps were concerned about a book being displayed face-out on the shelves of the YA section with a word like “lust”. They asked if I would be open to changing it. Now, though I knew it would be hard to think of the book under any other title, this is my first novel, and when it comes to marketing books, I fully admit that I am a doofus. So I decided to leave that in the hands of the professionals. And so early 2009, the title was quickly changed to Fairy Tale. Since then, I have heard numerous comments about the title; some positive, some negative. Okay, Fairy Tale doesn’t raise eyebrows the way Fairy Lust does, but my novel leans more toward a sweet romance than a torrid sex romp, anyway. And my mother-in-law and the priests at my church are thrilled.

~~~

Thanks Cyn!

In My Mailbox (20)

2009-09-06T19:52:00.004-05:00

IMM was inspired by Alea and memefied by Kristi.

Hold Still Trailer

2009-09-02T11:05:00.003-05:00

As you might know, I loved Hold Still by Nina LaCour (You can see my review here.) and I was just informed of this excellent trailer that Nina and a few of her friends did for Hold Still, so I thought I'd share it.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (38)

2009-09-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

June 2010/Little Brown

(No cover available.)

Scarlett never believed in the Fenris—werewolves drawn to the delectable charms of young girls. That all changed when in one swift attack, a Fenris murdered her grandmother and left Scarlett half-blind and horrifically scarred. Only her younger sister, Rosie, escaped unharmed as Scarlett shielded her from the Fenris’s jaws.

Now eighteen, Scarlett’s life’s mission is to destroy the Fenris and save other girls from her fate—a mission she’s grown to love, despite herself. Armed with red cloaks and hatchets, Scarlett, Rosie, and a young woodsman, Silas, move to the city in search of answers—and vengeance. If they can find a Potential Fenris, tainted by the pack but not yet consumed by it, they can unlock the mystery that transforms them- but better yet, use him as bait.

But unlike Scarlett, Rosie doesn't feel the thrill of the hunt in her blood. Longing for a life away from heavy responsibility and something sweeter than steel determination, Rosie finds herself drawn to Silas. More and more often, they find themselves abandoning the search for the Potential, stealing kisses, sharing secrets.

When Scarlett discovers the romance blossoming in her midst, she abandons her sister to the woodsman, certain that her own heart has no room for love, not when it's filled with her mission, her purpose. Still, the bond between Scarlett and Rosie is too deep to truly sever, and when Scarlett discovers a way to bring her sister back to her side for good- even if it means destroying Rosie’s happiness—she is forced to make a decision that will change the course of both their lives.

A modernization of Little Red Riding Hood, SISTERS RED is told in alternating viewpoints of Scarlett and Rosie as the sisters struggle to find the Potential, destroy the Fenris, and unwind their own tangle of romantic complexities and the deeply rooted bond between them. SISTERS RED is approximately 80k words in length, aimed at a mid to upper teenage audience.

On The Outside: Jennifer Brown

2009-08-31T00:00:00.001-05:00

Jennifer Brown is the debut author of the soon-to-be-released-tomorrow book, Hate List. You can find out more about Hate List here, and you can visit Jennifer here.

~~~

Thank you so much for inviting me to share my title/cover story with you, Kelsey!

I'll be the first to admit that I've always been epically horrible at writing titles. To make it worse, I've grown accustomed to writing for the newspaper, where my editor routinely changes my title for me anyway, which is another way of saying I'm now horrible and lazy with title-writing. I tend to just "stick on" a working title while I'm writing a project, and then by the end of the writing, I've gotten so used to the working title, I don't want to do anything to change it so I just go with it.

That said, my "working title" while I was writing "Hate List" was "To Kill a Year," which is so far off the Stink-o Title Scale, you really can't even see it from the ground. It sounds like some combination of a Harper Lee novel with a 007 movie, don't you think? So even I could see that, as soon as the book was finished, that title had to go. I decided to re-title it "Hero."

Now, in all honesty, I loved "Hero" and was really married to it. Thought it really nutshelled the book, and had this metaphorical quality to it. But my agent quite accurately pointed out that the title made sense if you'd already read the story, but didn't really do much to tell you what kind of book you were picking up off the shelf. Good point.

I brainstormed a little. But remember me? Rotten title-r? Yeah, I didn't get far. I came up with something totally different, and not at all inspired: "Wallpaper Horses." Nobody -- including me -- was in love with that one.

Fortunately, my editor at Little, Brown did some brainstorming as well and came up with a few much better titles. For a time, I considered sticking with a "Hero" twist -- maybe "Not a Hero" or "Nobody's Hero" -- but after chatting some, we decided that "Hate List" really fit the best. After all, it is a "Hate List" that is central to the story. So I wish I could take credit for the title of my book, but in reality... yeah, it was an editor saving my title-challenged butt once again.

While writing "Hate List," I definitely had a clear image of what I thought the cover art would look like. In my head, it was a spiral-bound notebook, filled with names, scratch-outs, doodles. Maybe tear-stained. Maybe covered with eraser-shavings, a pencil having erased some of the previously-written names.

But I wanted to be open to anything and everything Little, Brown had in mind, so I just waited to see what they came up with before I expressed any of my own ideas.

I was actually on vacation (Disney World) the day my cover art came through. I woke up to a text from my agent and spent half the morning scrambling to find Internet access so I could view the cover of my book. What I found was so different from what I'd been imagining... and so much better!... it just took my breath away.

Probably what works best for me about the cover is that it sets the tone so well for the story that's inside. As someone who writes in two genres, I was a little afraid that fans of my humor work would pick up "Hate List" expecting something funny. I think the cover art makes it clear that "Hate List" is a serious story.

I asked for no changes on the cover art. I love the design, I love the colors, I love how original and striking it is. I love everything about it.

Thanks again! This was fun!

~~~

Thanks Jennifer!

In My Mailbox (19)

2009-08-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Alea, memefied by Kristi.

This week I only got three books.

Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber

I got this one back from Ashley who borrowed it.

Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan

I got this one for review. It was my first David Levithan book. I've already read it, it was a bit disappointing from all the high praise it's been getting I think.

Positively by Courtney Sheinmel

I got this one for review, it was a bit of surprise, actually because I didn't know if I was getting it for review or not. I'm going to read it tonight (I wrote this at 11:53 on Saturday) and am really excited for it!

Create a Cover!

2009-08-29T18:10:00.005-05:00

Found this from The Story Siren:

CREATE YOUR DEBUT YA COVER

1 – Go to “Fake Name Generator” or clickhttp://www.fakenamegenerator.com/

The name that appears is your author name.

2 – Go to “Random Word Generator” or clickhttp://www.websitestyle.com/parser/randomword.shtml

The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.

3 – Go to “FlickrCC” or clickhttp://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/index.php

Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.

4 – Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in.

5 – Post it to your site along with this text.

Sweepstakes

2009-08-27T12:57:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday (37)

2009-08-26T00:00:00.000-05:00

Sleepless by Cyn Balog

July 13, 2010

Eron De Marchelle isn’t supposed to feel a connection. He is a Sandman, a supernatural being whose purpose is to seduce human charges to sleep. While he can communicate with his charges in their dreams, he isn’t encouraged to–after all, getting too involved in one human’s life would prevent him helping his other charges get their needed rest.

But he can’t deny that he feels something for Julia. Julia, with her fiery red hair and her sad dreams. Just weeks ago, her boyfriend died in a car accident, and Eron can tell that she feels more alone than ever. Eron was human once too, many years ago, and he remembers how it felt to lose the one he loved. Eron has always felt protective of Julia . . . but now, when she seems to need him more than ever, he can’t seem to reach her . . .

Sandmen are forbidden from communicating with humans outside their dreams. But will Eron be willing to risk everything for a chance to be with the person he loves?

The Everafter by Amy Huntley

2009-08-25T00:00:00.001-05:00

Title: The Everafter
Author: Amy Huntley
Publisher: Balzer&Bray
Reading Level: YA, 12+
Publication Date: September 29, 2009
Pages: 256
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: C+

Book Rating: B+

Plot - 19/20
Characters - 15/20
Writing - 17/20
Originality - 19/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 9/10
Total: 89/100

Summary:
Madison Stanton doesn’t know where she is or how she got there. But she does know this — she is dead. And alone, in a vast, dark space. The only company she has in this place are luminescent objects that turn out to be all the things Maddy lost while she was alive. And soon she discovers that with these artifacts, she can reexperience — and sometimes even change — moments from her life.

Her first kiss.

A trip to Disney World.

Her sister’s wedding.

A disastrous sleepover.

In reliving these moments, Maddy learns illuminating and sometimes frightening truths about her life — and death.
This is a haunting and ultimately hopeful novel about the beauty of even the most insignificant moments — and the strength of true love even beyond death.

Review:

The Everafter is a fascinating and mesmorizing novel from a welcome debut author. There are books on the afterlife, but none like this one. It is a one-of-a-kind novel that creates a whole new kind of afterlife like none you've ever seen before. I picked up this novel and I definitely wasn't expecting what I got. But I was certainly pleased by what it happened to be.

The plot is so imaginative and believable, I actually started thinking that maybe this is really what it's like after you die. Like maybe Huntley had a near death experience and put it to writing it was that believable. The writing was so desriptive and the details she brings to the table is wonderful. Her writing from different maturities and times was impressive. Very impressive to go from the age of seventeen to the age of eight or so and make it believable.

The only downfall of the novel were the characters. Though Maddy was a good enough character, I felt she wasn't fully developed, as were some of the characters. Maddy was a bit shallow in the beginning of the novel, but she did grow to be a much better character as the book went on, as did the other characters.

The Everafter is an impressive, imaginative, and unique take on the afterlife and extremely believable. With a fantastic ending, also.

On The Outside: Kate Alender

2009-08-24T00:00:00.001-05:00

Katie Alender is the very sweet author of Bad Girls Don't Die. You can visit her at her website here.

~~~

This book has been through so many titles! Probably because I worked on it for such a long time before even thinking about publication. At that point, I just needed a word that I could use when talking about what I was writing. (Because of course I couldn't say "my book"--in my mind, that was only something that REAL writers could say. I was worried that people would think I was a big old poser if I referred to it that way.)

So I called it "Lost", and I called it "Gone", for a while, and I called it "Preoccupied," which I knew immediately was wrong, so I just typed "PRE" when I saved the document.  Then, after a while, I settled on "The Homecoming," which fits the story in a number of ways.    When I contacted an old colleague in publishing to ask if he'd look at the book, his first bit of advice was to change the name, because Cynthia Voigt's "Homecoming" is a classic in the YA category.

I had to think fast, and I settled on "The Girl Least Likely," which was actually from a line that was cut from the book. Alexis, standing in the bedroom of a girl she never thought she could relate to, reflects that in contrast to the girl MOST likely to succeed and win awards and be voted most popular and best dressed, etc., she, Alexis, is the girl LEAST likely.

That title made it all the way through the sale of the book.  Even though I hadn't been wild about it when I first pulled it out of thin air, by the time we had to think of a new title, I found myself attached to the old one.  But the folks at Hyperion thought there might be something out there that not only gave the attitude (like TGLL did), but also hinted at the ghost story.  My agent, editor, and I made list after list after list.

I sat around thinking of scary words and arranging and rearranging them to come up with phrases.  I can't even remember the early favorites, but nothing clicked.  Finally, on yet another list, I was weary enough to make a joke. I wrote "Bad Girls Don't Die (sung to the tune of...)"--referring to the oldies song "Big Girls Don't Cry." I sent off the list.

Soon after, my editor called and said, "There's one title EVERYBODY loves!"   And she told me which one.  And I seriously almost fell out of my chair! I was like, "Um... okay... are you sure?"   But of course she was sure.

So I hung up and called my agent and was like, "Holy cow, what did I do?" and he was like, "Well, hmm." But we decided that we'd all wear the decision around for a while and see if it grew on us.  It took a little time, but it did grow on us. And now I can't imagine a different title.

Probably a big part of what made it easier to envision was my beautiful cover, designed by Beth Clark of Hyperion.  The morning my editor sent it over, I sat down and clicked the file, not sure what to expect.  But when I saw the file, I was just blown away. They had tapped into the gothic side of the story, the spookiness and menace and the sense that things aren't right in this old house.  And of course, the icily elegant typeface makes the title, which could have been played as "in your face" and punky, just a part of the mystery and menace.  So that's the story of Bad Girls Don't Die.

And I guess what I'd like to leave you with is, if you're writing a book--devoting all of that time and energy--never be embarrassed to say that's what you're doing. I mean, you don't have to run through the streets yelling, "I'm writing a book! I'm a writer!" But don't be afraid to take credit for your effort and your work in progress.  You're a writer, and it's a book!

Thanks for having me as your guest, Kelsey!

~~~

Thanks Katie!

In My Mailbox (18)

2009-08-23T13:05:00.002-05:00

Created by Alea, memefied by Kristi.

This week, well last week too, I didn't post what I got last week, was not so much, but good books, nonetheless!

I got another package from Egmont containing:

Of All The Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz

Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland

Candor by Pam Bachorz (Already read!)

Thanks Egmont!

I'm too lazy to put in the pictures and the summaries so I'll just link 'em instead.

Hold Still by Nina LaCour

2009-08-22T13:57:00.004-05:00

Title: Hold Still
Author: Nina LaCour
Publisher: Dutton
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: October 20, 2009
Pages: 304
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: B-
Book Rating: B

Plot - 17/20
Characters - 18/20
Writing - 19/20
Originality - 15/20
Entertainment - 8/10
Recommendation - 9/10
Total: 86/100

Summary:
Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.

Review:

Hold Still is a powerful novel about loss and love and hope for a new start after a friends suicide. Hold Still was an incredible novel with intense writing and realistic characters the make that book come alive. This novel wasn't about the plot, it was about a girl, Caitlin, trying to regain herself after her best friend, the person who knew her the best, kills herself. It's a very character driven novel with a nice side plot to it where Caitlin befriends someone and has a first love.

This novel wasn't greatly original, we've seen numerous books about friends suicide, but this novel had the amazingly developed characters and the strong emotions and Caitlin was just an impeccable character dealing with her friends suicide.

One thing that is very original about this novel is that there is actually illustrations in it coming from Ingrid's journal. I know from the author that the illustration, and I think a bit of the cover too, were done by a friend of the author and it was a debut for each of them in their own fields.

This novel is a highly recommended novel if you want a character driven novel with strong, realistic emotions, but with also an uplifting message.

*I thought I'd do a little early buzz for this one.*

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner Cover!

2009-08-20T16:43:00.001-05:00

I really love it. The colors and everything. It's a really fun cover.

Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

2009-08-20T00:00:00.002-05:00

Title: Jumping Off Swings
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: August 11, 2009
Pages: 240
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: B+
Book Rating: C

Plot - 15/20
Characters - 16/20
Writing - 17/20
Originality - 15/20
Entertainment - 5/10
Recommendation - 6/10
Total: 74/100

Traveling To Teens Production

Summary:
One pregnancy. Four friends. It all adds up to a profound time of change in this poignant, sensitively written YA novel.

Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they
begged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a
while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their "one-time thing" is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result. Told alternately from each character’s point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl’s life — and the realities of leaving innocence behind.

Review:

I read Knowles' first novel, Lessons From a Dead Girl, over a year ago. I liked it, though it was pretty graphic for what it was. My first impression of Knowles' was good writer and a good story-teller who wasn't afraid to go after those disturbing topics. My second impression wasn't as good as the first. Jumping Off Swings was a disappointment compared to her debut, sadly. Not saying it wasn't good, because it was, it was just not as suspenseful, not as spooky as I thought it should have been for a novel on this subject.

The novel started in a good spot. It made we anxious for where the rest of the novel would take me. But as I kept on reading I became more and more disappointed. It was just . . . flat. There was no excitement. The characters were bland. There was no suspense. Knowles' barely highlighted the pregnancy. It was there, but . . . it wasn't there. I think the novel was too short to really do anything for it.

Knowles is a good writer, yes. But she's not a great writer. I was impressed with her debut, but her sophmore novel just fell flat for me. This novel could have definitely been better if it were longer. I felt as if Knowles wrote the wrong things in the novel and she missed critical points. It was very disappointing.

Books of the Summer

2009-08-19T15:48:00.007-05:00

Some people were asking, and I told you I'd give you a post. So here are the books I accumulated over the summer.

The books were put in more nicely, but I had taken them out to show a friend before the picture was taken.

I had lent out five books to a friend so I added them in. Also the book with the 'X' in it shouldn't be there. Anyway, the pile on the far right is all the ARC's I recieved. The next pile are most of the hardcovers, the pile after that, all of the paperbacks, then the pile on the far left is a pile of the bigger books, the series and the shorter hardcovers, along with the books I added.

I had rearranged the bookshelf last week so the books weren't really arranged like that, but I knew I was getting a lot of books and there wouldn't be enough room, so I put them on their side instead.

This is my bookshelf after I added all my new books in. I'm missing a few books, I lent out Twilight and New Moon to someone, and then my friend is borrowing The Snowball Effect, The Everafter, Shiver, Going Too Far, The Host, and Hate List. My other friend is borrowing Bass Ackwards and Belly Up (I think.) and my mom is reading Beautiful Creatures.

Anyway I have it all organized. The books on the white shelf are all my paperbacks. Then on the bookshelf before that the first shelf is all my hardcovers, then my ARC's, then my series and books by authors who I have a lot of their books (Sarah Dessen, Meg Cabot) are the last two shelves.

The first shelf are all my review books (I've been reading a lot of them lately.) The middle shelf are all my paperback books in my personal TBR pile. The bottom shelf are my hardcover books in my personal TBR pile (With a few of the paperbacks I couldn't fit on the middle shelf.)

I have a lot more to read now after this summer. :)

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy Cover!

2009-08-14T12:53:00.003-05:00

I know most of you have probably all seen it before, but it has just become final, the cover for The Cinderella Society! Congrats Kay! It's gorgeous.

Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu Cover!

2009-08-14T12:47:00.003-05:00

I finally have another cover to share with you all! It's Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu! What do you think? I think it's very mysterious and definitely something I would pick up at a bookstore if I saw it!
Check back soon, we should be having another cover up. I'm just waiting to see if I could get a higher resolution jpeg of it.

Memoirs

2009-08-13T14:28:00.002-05:00

So, I've read a few memoirs, some being, Marley and Me and Three Little Words and I really liked them, actually if you remember back to about Christmas last year when I review Marley and Me I gave it an A+, my only A+ that I have every given on this blog if I remember correctly.

Anyhow, I've been thinking that I would love to read some more memoirs. Not like a celebrity memoir or anything. But something with strong emotions and deals with some issues. I think because reading about some stuff as a memoir it just changes the level of realness for me. That sounded kind of silly. What I mean is that, their are fiction books out there that deal with the same issues in memoirs. But I think because we know they are fiction, that they aren't as bad, but when you read a memoir, it just changes what you think of the subject because we know it is real.

So, anyways, do any of you read memoirs? Can any of you recommend some really good memoirs. I've been interested in reading Columbine by Dave Cullen but I don't know where to get it since I'm saving for something. I can't very well buy it. But I read about it in a magazine and it looks very good. But has anyone read it? Can you recommend that as well as some others?

"Waiting On" Wednesday (36)

2009-08-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

April 6, 2010

Two superstar authors join forces on a collaborative novel of awesome proportions.

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens-both named Will Grayson-are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history's most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan's collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans.

San Francisco Pictures (1)

2009-08-10T22:54:00.000-05:00

Here's a few pictures from my trip to San Francisco.

This first bunch of pictures are for Sarah Oc

kler. When I read Twenty Boy Summer at the beginning of the summer and realized that the bookstore mentioned in the book, City Lights Books, was real. I had to go see it. Sarah had said she hadn't been in there for a long time so I took some pictures (very stealthily, I might add.):

It was a pretty neat store. Though it didn't have a very big YA section, and, sadly, they didn't stalk Twenty Boy Summer there. What a shame. (Sorry some of the pictures were blurry.)

Stephanie Kuehnert Guest Blog

2009-08-10T15:46:00.000-05:00

What is your inspiration for your characters?

I write the kind of characters I wanted to read about as a teen. Emily from I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone was the kind of girl I always wished I could be... tough, musically talented. I adored female punk musicians when I was a teenager, but there weren't any fictional stories about them. So I wrote this one. Emily deals with some really tough situations and difficult emotions but she also gets to live out the rock n roll fantasy. She's the kind of character I wanted to escape into as a teen and even now. So her inspiration came from that fantasy, but also my love for musicians like Courtney Love, Brody Dalle, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, and the ladies in Civet and Sleater-Kinney.

As for Ballads of Suburbia, I guess my inspiration was reality. It's not autobiographical, it's not my life, but Kara and I are very similar emotionally. As a teenager, I escaped my pain with self-injury and substances like she does. I knew a lot of girls like Kara, Cass, and Maya. And I knew a lot of boys like Adrian. I'm sure there are still a lot of girls and boys out there who feel like they do, so I wrote this book for them. My inspiration was to break the silence. I wanted Ballads of Suburbia to be like an unforgettable song. I wanted to create characters that you would feel like you knew and have to talk to your friends about.

In a nutshell, punk rock inspired my first book and speaking out inspired my second. Speaking out is something I learned to do from punk, so it all kinda comes back to that.

There aren't particular people who inspire my characters, I draw more on emotion. Emily from IWBYJR is the emotion I feel when listening to a really good song. Kara from Ballads was synthesized from emotions I felt in high school. The friendships between Emily and Regan, Louisa and Molly, and Kara, Maya, and Cass draw on my relationship with my best friend, again emotionally, not actual situations.

Ballads of Suburbia

2009-08-10T15:43:00.004-05:00

Title: Ballads of Suburbia
Author: Stephanie Kuehnert
Publisher: MTV Books
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: July 21, 2009
Pages: 368
My Edition: Paperback
Amazon Page

Cover Rating: A-
Book Rating: A

Plot - 17/20
Characters - 19/20
Writing - 20/20
Originality - 17/10
Entertainment - 9/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 92/100

Summary:
Ballads are the kind of songs that Kara McNaughton likes best. Not the cliched ones where a diva hits her highest note or a rock band tones it down a couple of notches for the ladies, but the true ballads: the punk rocker or the country crooner telling the story of their life in three minutes, the chorus reminding their listeners of the numerous ways to screw things up. In high school, Kara helped maintain the "Stories of Suburbia" notebook, which contained newspaper articles about bizarre and often tragic events from suburbs all over and personal vignettes that Kara dubbed "ballads" written by her friends in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. Those "ballads" were heartbreakingly honest tales of the moments when life changes and a kid is forced to grow up too soon. But Kara never wrote her own ballad. Before she could figure out what her song was about, she was leaving town after a series of disastrous events at the end of her junior year. Four years later, Kara returns to face the music, and tells the tale of her first three years of high school with her friends' "ballads" interspersed throughout.

Review:

Ballads of Suburbia is an engaging book that you want to put down a few times while reading it, but can't. At least, that's what happened to me. I read Ballads in one sitting. And it was hard. I tried to put it down for a second, but I couldn't! It was begging for me to pick it up again. I had to know what would happen. I had to know, I just had to.

I cried. I laughed. Kara was such a believable character. All of the characters were so amazingly believable. The struggle they all went through was terribly realistic. I think it made it even more hard to read seeing Kara first when she was so young and then seeing her go through her life like that. It was devastating seeing Kara like that, and Liam too.

I don't think I need to say this, but, of course, Stephanie Kuehnert's writing was impeccable. Just brilliant. So realistic, so engaging. I just have to give her kudos for writing such a mortifying novel so excellent. She's really just a exceptional writer.

*Sorry for being so late Yan! Forgive me?*

IT'S FINALLY HERE!

2009-08-09T23:50:00.005-05:00

The Lovely Bones Trailer!!!!! I've been waiting ever since I read the book for this over a year ago!

I CANNOT wait!!!! I loved this book so much when I first read it. It was actually the 10th or so book I reviewed on my blog. You can see the review here (But don't because it's so horrible!). It was written March of last year. Long ago. But still, if you have not read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, I definitely consider doing so now! And if you're still unsure (and haven't seen the second video yet) the director is Peter Jackson, who did the Lord of the Rings, hello?

Okay.... enough rambling. Someone sharing my excitement?!?!

Question About My Reviews

2009-08-09T15:47:00.000-05:00

I'm curious. I've been thinking about my reviews and how I format them. Do you like them?

I realized that I usually dread doing everything like I had been doing them instead of getting the review down and that being it.

So doing you like where I list the specifics of the book? Do you like my rating? I was thinking of adding a cover rating to it because I like a lot of covers and I want to share my opinion on them.

Should I redo me review format? My rating format? Both? Neither? Changing one or both of them a little?

Also, while we're talking about it, do you even like how I do my reviews? I try to use my rating system and go step by step (Not always in order) but talk about what I like and don't like to give you an idea of why I got it whatever I gave each specific. Meaning why I gave the rating for plot, characters, originality, writing, etc.

What do you think?

In My Mailbox (17)

2009-08-09T11:31:00.002-05:00

Created by Alea, memefied by Kristi.

I could show you all the books I've gotten this summer since I haven't done IMM since June I think. But I can't yet. I have a huge box of books being shipped to me and they will arrive, not tomorrow, but the Monday after. So, instead, I'll just wait for the box to come and then do a photoshoot of my books.

But I did get a few books this week.

Dancing With Ana by Nicole Barker

I was contacted to review this one and it looks pretty good. It's a short one so hopefully I can get to it soon.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

My lovely (MOST AWESOME) blogger friend, Sarah, sent this one to me and she got it signed by Kimberly! For me! Kimberly probably wrote the coolest autograph in the book when she signed it. Thanks Sarah and Kimberly!

Girl on the Other Side by Deborah Kerbel

I was asked to review this one too and I couldn't say no! I loved Deborah's first book, Mackenzie, Lost and Found so I'm really looking forward to reading this one. It is also a pretty short book so I'm hoping to get to it soon.

Give Up The Ghost by Megan Crewe

I was suprised and so happy when I recieved this one because I had no idea when it was coming! I can't wait to read it! I love the cover on this one.

That's all I got this week. Some pretty great books! I know I'll probably be getting some other books next week and then maybe you can expect two IMM's next week when my package comes. It's going to be hard putting in a picture all the books I got this summer. You'll see....

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

2009-08-07T00:00:00.002-05:00

Title: Tricks
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Reading Level: YA, 14+
Publication Date: August 25, 2009
Pages: 627
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Rating: A-
Plot - 18/20
Characters - 20/20
Writing - 20/20
Originality - 18/20
Entertainment - 7/10
Recommendation - 7/10
Total: 90/100

Summary:
Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two boys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching...for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don't expect, though, is that they can have all of these things when those powerful little words "I love you" are said for all the wrong reasons. Five moving stories remain seperate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story- a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up.

Review:

Before I start, I just want to say that, in the ratings, I'm not sure if the Entertainment and Recommendation should apply. Tricks was a story of prostitution. (Something I didn't really realize until I started it.) It was entertaining, the novel. But it was not a happy entertainment. These stories are so hard to read and so hard to really enjoy. You can't enjoy it. But you can't stop reading either. The recommendation is hard too. How can I recommend something that is so terrible, so horrible (In the sense of the of the story.) but how can I not recommend something that is so amazingly crafted and incredibly written? How can I? Either way, I'm not going to fuss about the rating. This book was so horribly amazing and that is all you need to know for a rating.

Ellen Hopkins has such an amazing talent for writing verse novels and I can't ignore the fact that all of her novels tackle the most roughest, most terrible teen difficulties out there? The writing was incredibly done. The story was terrible to read, but it was also fantastic. What I'm trying to say is, the story, the lives of the five people in this novel and what happen to them is the most terrifying thing I have ever read. But Ellen Hopkins, she wrote it so well that it is just an amazing novel.

How Hopkins combines all of these stories together in the tiniest of ways. How these characters can do these things. How they each of the characters were so different and how each of their lives were so far from each other, but yet, they ended out the same way. How someone can do that just blows my mind. But she did it. And how she can write about these issues without having a mental breakdown herself, well, give her a million cookies.

I'm on the fence. As much she's a great writer, I don't know if I can handle reading another one of her stories, but I know, if I pick one of them up, I definitely won't be able to put it done.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (35)

2009-08-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
Summer/Fall 2010

(no cover yet)

When Brie’s sister Faith falls tragically from a cliff, sixteen-year-old Brie is left devastated and convinced it isn’t an accident. In her grief, she becomes friends with another girl at her school, Tessa, whose sister has also passed away. Tessa and Brie join forces to seek out the truth of what happened the night of Faith’s death and discover, among other things, a religious cult in which Faith was a rebellious member. Brie falls out of the popular crowd into a band of misfit teens who help her learn the truth about Faith, the sister she hated and loved.

LOSING FAITH won RWA’S 2008 Launching A Star Contest for the YA category and will be released Summer/Fall 2010 from Simon Pulse.

Just Thought I'd Share This:

2009-08-04T23:56:00.001-05:00

Someone pointed this article out to me and I'd like to know your opinions on it. Read the article here.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

2009-08-04T20:59:00.003-05:00

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Reading Level: YA, 13+
Publication Date: August 1, 2009
Pages: 400
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Rating: A
Plot - 17/20
Characters - 19/20
Writing - 19/20
Originality - 19/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 94/100

Summary:

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Review:

From the first words in this novel, I was hooked. I instantly new that this would be my kind of book. And it was. To put it in a few short words: It blew me away. It was just brilliant.

I loved Grace. She just seemed like such a dynamic character. She seemed like someone anyone could be friends with. She had two sides to her. The side when she was with her friends, the simple, calm, nice, and smart girl. Then there was this other side to her, that came out when she was with Sam. She was michievious. She made me laugh. But, Sam was definitely a character I loved. There was just something about him. Whatever it was, Maggie made some fantastic characters that I can't wait to visit again in LINGER.

The writing was brilliant. It flowed so smoothly together, the alternating chapters. Sometimes when reading books with alternating chapters I sometimes wish to read one more then the other, but not here. There was just this gorgeousness to her writing that just hooks you in.

And that doesn't include the originality of the story. Or how much it entertains me. Or how much I would recommend it. I can't say how much I loved this story.

In the end, Maggie Stiefvater wrote a enganging and true to life love story that, with every little kiss Sam gave Grace, you wanted more. You needed it. It was just to gorgeous of a book not to.

And I must add this in here. It is not too often when a book is located in Minnesota. And this book was, and nonetheless, two and a half hours from where I live. I could totally relate to this novel, and I liked that.

I'm Home.

2009-08-03T13:15:00.001-05:00

Yep I'm here. The morning after I arrived. It turns out that the hotel didn't have free internet so I couldn't get online. I had the most amazing time in San Francisco. I wish I could live there. The trip was good but they someone sat in my window seat and someone who couldn't move was in her seat, so I had to sit on the aisle for my first flight from San Francisco to Minneapolis but it went by very fast because I was reading Going To Far and listening to my music. Then I had a 2.5 hour layover. I had to stay in the Unaccompanied Minor's room which took like 15 minutes to get to and to go to my other flight. Kids were coming and going and I just sat there had a few glasses of apple juice and finished Going To Far by Jennifer Echols (which I bought at a FOUR STORY Borders across from Union Square!) and I LOVED it. Then I started Tricks by Ellen Hopkins, called my parents and grandparents and went to my other flight where I got to sit in the front seat next to nobody.

But anyhow, let's talk about San Francisco! What I did:

Day One:

Went to the German Embassy because my grandma wanted to get her German Passport. She didn't make an appointment so they didn't allow her in.
Went to the Books, Inc. on Van Ness and bought Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart.
Went to Chevy's for lunch on Van Ness and had really good fajita nachos.
Rode around town until we found Columbus Ave which is right next to Chinatown, so we parked up a few blocks and walked down to Columbus to go to the City Lights Bookstore, which is that might seem familiar it is. It was the bookstore mentioned in Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. Sarah: I have pictures! Sadly they had a very poor YA section there. But I did buy The Other Side of The Island by Allegra Goodman, which I heard about once and it is a dystopian novel so it looked pretty good.
Then my grandma and I walked around Chinatown for a bit. We walked in stores and looked at stuff and we did buy a little bamboo plant which I will mention later.
Then we got the car, and to get on the freeway we went through the financial district! I just loved being by all those skyscrapers! I took pictures!
We went to the hotel in South San Francisco and checked in and we called my BFF who lives in the San Francico Bay Area and we went down to her house for dinner which we gave her family the little bamboo plant and had a great dinner.

Day Two:

I got up earlier then my grandma (unheard of!) and we got ready and went down for the complimentary breakfast, which was very good.
We were out of the hotel by around eight. We planned to go to the SFMOMA (Museum of Modern Art a.k.a. the MoMA.) But when we got there it wasn't open until 11 am and it was only nine so we decided to walk around for a bit.
The MoMA was right near the heart of San Francisco, meaning the area where all the skyscrapers are. So we walked down there on Polk, Market, New Montgomery, etc. It was so amazing. You could definitely tell the locals from the tourists. There were so many designer stores which weren't even opened yet.
We decided to walk down to Union Square. They were having like a gallery thing going on there. But we looked around and we saw a BORDERS! We went in and asked where the YA section was and he said the third floor! I just can't get over how big it was. I ended up getting Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog ang Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols.
When we went by Union Square again we saw the (what we learned later) second largest Macy's. They even had a Cheesecake Factory on the top. We went up the 7 (or 8?) floors to the top of Macy's and I took a lot of pictures of Union Square.
We saw a lot of people wearing scarfs. We weren't sure why but my grandma thought we should know. Most of the scarves we saw were like 50-100 bucks. But my grandma found one that was 10 bucks so she got one and realized why everyone wore then. They kept you much warmer in the wind there. :)
Then we went to the MoMA and spent a few hours there. They had two special exhibits, Georgia O'Keeffe and Richard Avedon. I really liked the Richard Avedon one. That was neat.
We then had lunch and walked around a bit more. We found a bookstore called Alexander's Book Co. It was a three story bookstore and on the top floor they had the YA section. There was a lady there, I think it might've been the owner, and we got talking and I told her about my blog and showed her my blurb in Blue Moon and she went to get something and when she came back she had three ARC's with her and said I could have them! I couldn't believe it! I think that was one of the most awesome moments. I got The Well by someone. I can't remember the author. But I also got Tangled by Carolyn Mackler which I already read and it was really good. I also got Tricks by Ellen Hopkins which I am in the middle of right now. But I also bought Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I think I'm getting a ARC of Fire so I thought I might get this one, plus I've heard fantastic things of it.
Then we went back to the hotel and I started Tangled and we had dinner and went to sleep.

Day Three:

We got out about an hour later then the day before and we planned to head to the Golden Gate Park for a museum they had there and then go to Fishermen's Wharf.
We went to the Golden Gate Bridge and even though I've done it before, we crossed it and took pictures. It was a very foggy day though.
Well, it took us a while, but we got to the museum and we remembered that the De Young building was there and they had the King Tut exhibit. So we did that, which was very interesting.
Then we saw the galleries they had there, which was a lot. Gorgeous art though.
Before we left we went on the elevator to go to the top of the building and OMG it was just a panoramic view. I could see everywhere! I took lots of pictures.
We then left and traveled through the Golden Gate Park. It was amazing! There were ponds and a waterfall and just everything. I couldn't believe it.
We traveled through the Golden Gate Recreation Area and the Presidio. It was gorgeous. We found lots of areas to take pictures.
We were riding around and we found another Books, Inc on California Ave. So we went in there, and guess what I found? A autographed copy of Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. So I had to get it. :)
Grandma and I decided to go to the Coit Tower then. So we went on Lombard street but then we realized that on Lombard street was the "Crookedest Street in the World" but they had a huge line so we ended up going around it to get to the Coit Tower.
When we got to the Coit Tower I took some incredible pictures! And when I went up to the top I took even more incredible pictures, even though it was very windy and foggy, the pictures turned out pretty well I think.
After the Coit Tower it was around six at night I think and we didn't feel like going to the hotel just yet. So we ended up going to Ghiradelli Square, which was pretty disappointing. Though we had dinner at a dinner all the made it Ghiradelli Square was the two Ghiradelli shops. My grandma and I had a really yummy Ghiradelli hot chocolate though.
Then we went back to the hotel and went to bed.

Day Four:

We planned to hit the Ferry Building and Pier 39/Fishermen's Wharf today. When we got out of the highway we had a little trouble finding parking but we found some and we got to the Ferry Building. It was totally different then what I thought it would be. But they had a bookstore there that we looked at but I did NOT BUY ANYTHING. I was afraid I wouldn't have room in my suitcases. Haha.
They had a Farmers Market that day. And Across the street at the Embarcadero Center they had a little crafts things. So we looked at that for awhile and then walked all the way from the Ferry Building to pier 39/Fishermen's Wharf. It was a long walk.
When we got to Pier 39 we came across the Garyline Tour station and my grandma and I ended up do the 2.5 hour Trolley tour. It was fantastic! I had a terrific time and saw some great places that my grandma and I didn't go to in the other three days. I took TONS of pictures on the tour.
After the tour was over we walked over to Fishermen's Wharf and went to have an early dinner at the best seafood place on the Wharf: Scoma's. It was yummy! Go there!
Then, instead walking all the way back to the car, we took the bus, or in San Francisco, The Muni. Believe it or not, it was my first time in public transportation. At least of what I can remember. There was an accident or something because we sat in front of Pier 39 for like 20 minutes. And as much as it was strange and the smell of body odor, it was pretty convenient. Better then walking in the cold.
Then we went to the hotel and I packed and read Going Too Far until 11 pm and woke up at 3 am to go to the airport.

So that was my time in San Francisco. I just absolutely fell in love with the city. I could so live there if it weren't so expensive! Maybe when I become a best selling author . . . Hey! I can dream! Haha.

Anyways, I'm home and when I get all of my books here (I had to ship most of them in a big box that weighed 30 pounds!) I'll take a pictures for you all. It's a LOT of books. Plus all the books I have for review. I don't know what to read first!

"Waiting On" Wednesday (34)

2009-07-29T00:00:00.002-05:00

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
2010

(No cover yet)

Sophie Mercer thought being a teenage witch meant flying broomsticks, talking cats, and awesome spells. Instead, her mom still makes her ride the bus, she’s allergic to pet dander, and the one big spell she attempts at prom goes seriously bad-like, Carrie-levels of bad. As a result, Sophie is shipped off to Prentiss Academy, a boarding school for Witches, Shapeshifters, and Faeries. At Prentiss, Sophie discovers that the traumas of regular school have nothing on the goings-on at “Freak High,” what with the trio of Dark Witches who want Sophie to join their coven, her futile crush on Prentiss’s hottest Warlock, and her roommate, Jenna, who just happens to be Prentiss’s only Vampire. When members of Sophie’s coven are attacked, she finds herself trying to exonerate Jenna and solve the mystery, which might be more connected to Sophie than she ever could have guessed.

Gone

2009-07-28T18:07:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone!

Summer's just about to end in a month already, can ya believe it? I can't. It feels like it should be at least June still.

But anyhow, the point of this post it to tell everyone that I will be leaving for San Francisco tomorrow morning for four days. And then this upcoming Sunday I'm going back home to Minnesota after more then two months in California with my grandparents. So I don't know when I'll post again. It might take a few days before I comfortable again but I hope to get going on my review books that have been piling up at home this summer. Along with the books that I bought this summer, which if you're wondering, as I know some of you are, I am shipping most of them in a big box that weighs 30 pounds and I have some in my luggage too. I just hope none of them get ruined.

What you can expect is two WoW posts that I already have scheduled and hopefully my T2T post for Ballads of Suburbia (GO BUY IT NOW!) if I can get it written. And if I don't: Don't hate me Yan!

Anyhow, I shall be back in a week at the latest! Thanks for hanging with me in this poorly posting summer on my blog.

On The Outside: Michelle Zink

2009-07-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

Michelle Zink is the debut author of the novel Prophecy of Sisters coming out August 1, 2009. You can visit her at her blog here. (I've seen a copy at the Border's Express here (I didn't have enough money on me!) so go now and I bet there at your local bookstore!)

~~~

When I first heard the concept for the cover of my book, Prophecy of the Sisters, I was so excited! The book is a Gothic fantasy set in 1890 and features very dark themes and a strong supernatural element. The original concept was to locate real, Victorian pins of different animals, and feature a different one on each of the three books in the Prophecy series. Book one would be a snake, book two something else, and so on.

My editor did a ton of legwork, researching gorgeous Victorian brooches and pins of various animals until she found a beautiful example. A photo shoot followed, and the designer added special effects such as a worn background, a shadow for the snake's tongue (especially cool because the actual pin doesn't have a snake's tongue, so it could only be seen in shadow), and a title treatment that was actually art, not stock font. When it was finished, the cover was striking and unusual - definitely different than every other YA title out there.

That part I loved!

But the overall effect felt a little... off to me, I guess. Maybe it was because I was accustomed to seeing spookier covers for YA fantasy or maybe it's because it just wasn't what I was expecting, but I didn't believe the cover captured the essence of the book or said anything important about its story. It seemed I was in the minority, though, because a lot of the people at the publishing house really loved it, so it was decided to send the ARCs out with the cover as-is and then consider the feedback from there.

I held my breath when the ARCs went out, in part because I *wanted* everyone to love the cover so we wouldn't have to start over and in part because, as hard as I tried, I just couldn't get 100% behind it even though I knew how hard everyone had worked on it and SO appreciated all the energy (a lot) and talent (considerable) that had gone into it.

In the end, the feedback was called "polarizing" - some people loved it and some people REALLY didn't "get it". There was enough of the latter, though that my publisher decided to rework the cover from the concept up. As funny as it sounds, I was a little sad, even though I'd had a feeling we might be better off with a different cover. The truth is, whatever your cover is and however you feel about it at first, your brain does this thing where it starts to point out all the good things about it in an effort to make it all okay, you know? So parts of the cover had grown on me, and I'd become kind of happy that it was white when so much of fantasy had a darker background. But deep down, I was happy (and a little nervous!) to be getting a new cover concept.

Little Brown worked fast to come up with a new cover, because we were getting really close to my pre-publication tour and they really wanted something solid to unveil to the booksellers and educators we would be meeting. And there's so much that goes into it. A cover has to tell you something about the story. It has to be different enough that it will stand out on the shelf. And it has to be beautiful, even when its scary, for the YA audience. Shortly before I left for tour, I got my new cover - the one you see now.

I have to say, it took me off guard at first! Again, it just wasn't what I was expecting. I think I kept expecting a Victorian girl in a fancy gown, even though I probably would have whined, "But everyone has one of thooooooose!" if that's what I'd gotten. (Sometimes I feel so sorry for editors and designers that they have to put up with us!) But the difference between this cover and the last one was that EVERYONE seemed to love this one. From the beginning, the feedback wasn't polarizing - it was more or less unanimous - this was THE cover. Featuring era-appropriate twin graveyard statues, it really spoke to the darker nature of the book and the conflict between sisters. The title font wasn't art this time, and although I hated to lose the "cool" factor associated with that, the new title font was cleaner and more Gothic. Definitely a better fit for the story itself.

I became an even bigger advocate of my cover after my pre-publication tour, because everywhere we went the booksellers and educators would say, "Is THAT the new cover?" And they loved it. Plus, when we went to Comic-COn NY with it, lots of people who came to my signing mentioned doing so strictly because of the cover. It has since been called creepy, scary, spooky, striking, intruiging, and my personal favorite, bad ass!

But it was a long road to get here and involved countless hours of work, energy, talent, and patience(!), on the part of my editor and designer. In the end, though, it was all worth it. I couldn't be happier, and I look forward to seeing how the concept will be carried forward with the next two books.

Now I get to wait for the fun part - seeing the cover in all of its final glory, special effects and all. I can't wait! I hope when you see it, you'll enjoy it even more knowing all that went into developing the perfect cover. Oh, and say a quiet thank you to editors and designers everywhere who work so hard to give us the stunning covers we sometimes take for granted.
:D

~~~

Thanks Michelle!

Winners Announced!

2009-07-25T16:54:00.003-05:00

The winners of the Suite Scarlett giveaway are:

Erica
Mari
holdenj

The winner of the ARC of Along For The Ride is:

Krista/Tower of Books

Congratulations! Since I'm actually pretty busy this weekend and week, you have all have until Monday at midnight to email me your addresses, be sure to put which book you won in the subject line!

And, because I really want to, I'll share my answers to the questions I answered.

For Suite Scarlett I asked: What do you like better? Hardcover or Paperback? WHY?

I answer: I like hardcovers better mostly because paperbacks drive me crazy when I have to bend the cover on the paperbacks and they stay bent!

For Along For The Ride I asked: What is your dream car?

I have two dream cars. My first one is one I've had since I was in the 3rd grade, seriously. It's the new VW Beetles. I'd like it in a baby blue with a black convertible top like this one:Another car I would love to have too is the Audi TTS Roadster in red:
I think if I could afford it, I'd take the Audi over the Beetle because, well, the Audi is more luxurious and you don't see as many around as you do the Beetle. But, you never know. :)