Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Title: Generation Dead
Author: Daniel Waters
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 2008
Pages: 400

Rating: B+
Plot - 18/20
Characters - 17/20
Writing - 17/20
Originality - 20/20
Entertainment - 8/10
Recommendation - 8/10
Total: 88/100

Summary:
Phoebe is just your typical goth girl with a crush. He’s strong and silent -- and dead.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is happening. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. They are coming back to life, but they are no longer the same -- they stutter, and their reactions to everything are slower. Termed "living impaired" or "differently biotic," they are doing their best to fit into a society that doesn’t want them.

Fitting in is hard enough when you don’t have the look or attitude, but when almost everyone else is alive and you’re not, it’s close to impossible. The kids at Oakvale High don’t want to take classes or eat in the cafeteria next to someone who isn’t breathing. And there are no laws that exist to protect the differently biotic from the people who want them to disappear -- for good.

With her pale skin and Goth wardrobe, Phoebe has never run with the popular crowd. But no one can believe it when she falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids. Not her best friend, Margi, whose fear of the differently biotic is deeply rooted in guilt over the past. And especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has just realized his feelings for Phoebe run much deeper than just friendship. He would do anything for her, but what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?

Review:
This book was on the top of my wish list for a very long time, so once I started it, I was really excited and hoping for the best. Now it wasn't the best, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good, it was really good, but there were some down times to it also.

I thought the whole story was so unique and it really was intriguing. Zombies teens arriving from the dead, as if for a second chance at a lifetime. It was totally fascinating. Waters definitely created an amazing new world where one can go to escape and live with Pheobe and her weird fascination with Zombie boy Tommy. There were slow parts, that had me stop along the way, but ultimately I kept going and I am so glad I did because, boy!, was the ending memorizing! But it was a cliffhanger ending so I reallllly need a copy of Kiss of Life, like, right now.

Waters is a talented writer and this new series is a hit in the Zombie lovers (me) world. Pheobe was a exclusive girl, and in their world her liking a zombie boy was wrong, and with that and just the fact that some people don't llike Zombies, it creates chaos. Waters created this new interesting world and I cannot wait to see where it brings us to in the next book. This novel explores the realms of popularity, racism, and acceptance, in a unique way.

Okay, so above was a little fan-girly, so here's this: Waters has written a clever and witty, but seemingly unique novel that explores different understanding of Zombies as you've never seen, heard, read them before. This book is great, and let's hope for the best in Kiss of Life (out May) after the shocking cliffhanger ending.



(P.S.--I'm so sooo sorry it's taken me this long to write this review. I have been lazy and unmotivated out of my mind lately, so I'm glad this is up. I guess you should hope for a review of EVERMORE by Alyson Noel soon, if I get to it.)

You Know Where I'll Be . . .

'Nuff said . . .

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Stealing Heaven
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: 5/27/08
Pages: 320

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

Summary:
Dani has been trained as a thief by the best—her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends—a real life.

In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She's making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the real Dani—because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they've targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she's always known—or the one she's always wanted.

Review:
Okay, let this be known that I have been waiting since the release date of this book to read it, and finally being able to enjoy it, this might sound fan-girly, sorry! in advance.

Elizabeth Scott crafted a genuine and original story that leaves you straining for more and more. Scott's characters are really the winners in her writing, creating unimaginably amazing characters, and layers them with authentic and gleaming personality.

Scott's enthusiastic writing and the stimulus emotions coming from it are breath taking. Scott creates a terrific world in which we learn, love, and hope for the best and we get happy endings, big climaxes, a true romance, and together and heartwarming story.

This is one of Scott's best, and one we would expect from her. The intuiging plot, with the three demensional characters and the tale of one trying to get what she always wished she had but never wanting to betray her mother, her family, but also wanting to live her own life, instead of her mothers life. The plot was original, interesting, and a book that won't let you put it down until long after the last period is shown.

With the intuiging plot, gleaming characters, and enthusiastic writing at it's best, I couldn't imgine a better novel, it wasn't predictable, it wasn't cheesy, but it was real, and it's one that is recommended highly. Get this now.

On The Outside: Lisa Schroeder

Sorry, I didn't post last week, we had an author visiting and it was jammed packed. I also realized I haven't set an official day of when these would be posted, so I would like to clarify that also, they will be posted on Monday every week, unless I have an author who would request it to be on the release day for their new book.

Lisa Schroeder is the author of two young adult novels, I HEART YOU YOU HAUNT ME, and her newest book, FAR FROM YOU, released December 23rd 2008. You can visit her online at http://www.lisaschroederbooks.com/

~~~

I'm one of those authors that has to have a title while I'm writing. It may change as I go along, but I can't leave that top space on the manuscript blank, for some reason. One of my little quirks as a writer, I guess.

So at first the title of my latest book was LOST WITHOUT YOU. When I started writing, I knew the elements that would be in the book - a singer/songwriter as a main character, named after ALICE IN WONDERLAND, with the book playing a part in the story; a mother who had passed away from cancer; and a deadly snowstorm that would cause Alice to reexamine her feelings about life and her family.

After I was done writing, I sent the book to my agent, and one of her concerns was that the book might be criticized as being just another book about a dead mother. So I tried to put the emphasis more on Alice having trouble accepting her stepmother and her new half-sister rather than so much about missing her mother. Of course in the book, she does miss her mother, but there are other issues she's struggling with, not just that.

After I revised, I knew LOST WITHOUT YOU wasn't going to work anymore, because it was a title that, to me, put the emphasis on missing someone. For days, I drew a blank. I put a cry for help out on my blog, and still, nothing. One day I was out for a walk and listening to my iPod. And one of the songs I had listened to numerous times as I wrote the book came on during that walk. And the first line of the song made me literally stop. It's really weird, I still can remember that exact moment.

The song? From Where You Are by Lifehouse. The first line of the song is:

"So far away from where you are.."

Narrow that down, and it's FAR FROM YOU. And that is how the title came to be.

If you look in the acknowledgments of my book, you'll see I mention Jason Wade, the lead singer and songwriter for Lifehouse. That's how important his music was to me in writing this book. And, coming up with a title as well!

~~~

Thanks Lisa!

If any author wants more details on how you can do an On The Outside post with me, please email me at kels.m.17@gmail.com with On The Outside in the subject line and I'll get to you immediately with the details!

I Know I Said . . .

. . . That I probably wouldn't, but once I said it, I wanted to change my layout, so I did. What do you think? It's not really different, the colors are and the headers a bit, but that's about it. So What do you think? Tell me in the comments. Do you like this one, the old one? Or should I make a new one, and if so, what colors?

In My Mailbox

I had a fantastic week this week, so here's an In My Mailbox post, created by The Story Siren.

The Borrowed:
Death By Bikini by Linda Gerber
Death By Latte by Linda Gerber
Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers (Reading next!)
Evermore by Alyson Noel (Just finished it! Amazing!)
---Courtesy of Carol


The Recieved:
Shelter Me by Alex McAulay
Far From You by Lisa Schroeder
Jars of Glass by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler
Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan
---Courtesy of Rachael

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
---Courtesy of Aimee Friedman

Fade by Lisa McMann (Read it, LOVED it)
Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott
The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti
---Courtesy of Simon Pulse

3 Willows by Ann Brashares
---Courtesy of Carol

Once Bitten by Kalayna Price (Not in Picture) (I actually had no clue this was coming for me!)
---Courtesy of Bell Bridge Books

Thanks so much to everyone who made this possible for me, I reckon I had a fantastic week! I'm completely excited about all of them! I've already read two of them and they were both fantastic. I can't wait to read and review the rest!

Questions and Answers

A few bloggers asked me some questions, so I thought I'd answer them then today, so here you go in all my honesty.

"What do you like to do besides read?" From Lauren at Shooting Stars Mag
-Thanks Lauren, well, I'm a bit of a TV-aholic. I love prime time TV, I also love to watch movies and such. I cook a lot and sometimes I have fun with it. My favorite thing to cook is chicken enchiladas for my family and I. I have fun on Photoshop, I like to create headers and I have even created a blogger template for someone. Really, I just love to create and imagine, writing is a big hobby of and almost like all of the book reviewers here I would love to become a writer.

"What was one of your MOST favorite ARCS to receive and read?" From Lauren at Shooting Stars Mag
-Oh, jeez, I don't know. I don't think I could pick a favorite. But, let's see . . . Well, I really loved my ARC's of WILLOW by Julia Hoban and WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson, those books are so fantastic, but I should have two ARC's coming in for ALONG FOR THE RIDE by Sarah Dessen and PERFECT FIFTHS by Megan McCafferty really soon so I think those will be right up there with WILLOW and WINTERGIRLS and I should be getting an ARC for ONE LONELY DEGREE by C. K. Kelly Martin around March that I am so excited for also. So those three books will without a doubt be up there with those other two books I mentioned.

"What do you hope to change in the blog in the next year, if anything of course?" From Lauren at Shooting Stars Mag
-Hmmm....Well, I'd like to think of another feature for my blog to get more viewers, I also hope to craft my reviews a bit better. I really just want to share my blog and reviews with everybody I can and I plan to think of ways to do so. I also might change my layout a bit but I'm quite fond of it right now so I might keep it longer then I usually do for my layouts.

"If you could only take 3 books to a desert island, which 3 would they be?" From Tina Ferraro
-Tough Question! Oh, I would probably take Hatchet by Gary Paulsen because not only is it an awesome and enjoyable story it also has survival techniques in it. Are they coming out with one big book with all the Harry Potter books in it? That would count as one more book right? I would definitely take that. And, hmmmm, I think I would take Marley and Me by John Grogan because it's funny and sad and excellent. A book I would never tire of.

Thanks so much for the questions! If anyone has any more questions today, I could edit it and add it in more. But, I would also like to thank everybody who congratulated me on my one year, it made my week! Truly, thank you so much, this blog couldn't be what it is without you guys!

Winner of Anniversary Week Contest!

This will be quick because I have a ton of reviews to right and I want to get at it before I lose my interest in doing it now, so randomly chosen by a custom number generator is Erika Lynn! Congratulations, you live in the United States so you will be winning that awesome t-shirt congratulations! I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you guys for this awesome, exciting week for me! I had so much fun and let's thank that fabulous Stacey Jay and congratulate her on her debut release so go ahead and buy a copy! So you might expect a post tomorrow with the few questions a few people asked me on Wednesday. And a In My Mailbox post on Sunday, I got a ton of books this week, so look for that. And as always, expect some reviews if I get them posted written.

Interview with Stacey Jay!

Today apart of my annivarsay week we have Stacey Jay here with us for an interview about her new book YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME. You can visit her at http://www.staceyjay.com/

I know this is your first book published, so could you explain you're feelings when you first heard that your book was getting published?

• There was a lot of screaming involved, lol. My four year old remembers the day I sold because of all the screaming. The only time he's seen me so freaked out was when a tree fell on the back of our house while we were having dinner and almost crushed the entire family.

Your novel, YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME, is about a girl who can put zombie's to rest, can you tell us where you came up with this storyline?

• I was listening to Radio Disney with my kids and that song "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" came on, and I started thinking "what if this chick had something REALLY dramatic to deal with". Like zombies. Who showed up on her doorstep. Rotten and stinky, with major issues she had to solve. Thus, Megan the Zombie Settler was born.

Can you tell us about your upcoming books?

• Yep. I've got the sequel to YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME coming out in 2010. It's titled UNDEAD MUCH? (though that might change) and is even scarier and romancier than the first book. I'm really proud of it and can't wait to see what readers who have enjoyed the first book think of Megan and Ethan's continuing story. Then, also in early 2010, I've got a presently untitled book coming out with Flux featuring a zombie as the heroine. She goes to zombie school and has to eat brains and solve a murder. I'm in edits with that right now and having so much fun with it. It's a little sillier than the Megan books, but still scary and romantic.

I'm always curious, how do you name your characters?

• Sometimes, I figure out when they would have been born and Google to find the most popular names that year and choose something I like from the top 100. Other times, the name has a special meaning. It varies. Megan was a top 100 name.

If YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME became a movie, do you have any idea who would player your characters?

• Ooo....that's a great question. Hmm...I would love the girl from Juno, Ellen Page, to play Megan. Even though Megan isn't as confident as the character of Juno, or quite as smartassy, I think Ellen would do a fabulous job. As far as Ethan goes, I have no idea, but I'd love to hear who readers think would be good for his role.

How has the first draft of your novel different from your finished draft?

• With this book, VERY different. I had a 60% rewrite during my first edits and then a little more tweaking during second edits. With my second book, UNDEAD MUCH?, the edits have been much more modest. Probably about a 20% rewrite. Of course, the second time around I had the chance to brainstorm the direction of the story with my editor before I started writing which made a big difference.

What do you do in your leisure time?

• What is this leisure time you speak of? Um...I think I vaguely remember something like that occuring in 2001, before I had two stepdaughters, two young songs, and three pen names. Lol. But really, in what little spare time I have, I love to play Wii with my kids, work out, and go on trips with my hubby. We love to travel and I hope to have more time for that next year.

What are your favorite YA authors and books? Have you read any YA book that really blew you away recently?

• There are waaaayyyyyy too many to name, but I have read a new YA that blew me away just a few weeks ago. "Strange Angels" by Lili Saintcrow, which will also release from Razorbill in 2009. It's a LOT darker and moodier than YOU ARE SO UNDEAD TO ME, but I loved it. The main character is so rich and well thought out and I love the world Lili is creating. I'd highly recommend snagging an ARC if you can get one.

How much of yourself is put into Megan Berry?

• More than any other character I've ever written. Megan is different from me in many ways, but the neurotic, over-thinking of EVERYTHING is totally me. I'm bad about that now, but I was even worse in high school.

Can you give any advice for aspiring authors?

• Keep writing. Write every day, and when you're not writing, read. Read everything you can get your hands on. With every story you read, you'll learn something.

Thanks so much Stacey!

Winner of The ABC's of Kissing Boys!

This will be quick because I'm excited for LOST starting again in 15 minutes. But anyhow, I was shocked to see how many people signed up for the contest! I was so pleased and am so happy that On The Outside is doing great, I have a ton of authors lined up to share their cover and/or title stories with us until at least April. And maybe longer, but please if any authors are reading this and want to do a On The Outside post with me, please email me with the address on the left.

Anyhow, the winner, randomly chosen from a random number generator is Ashley from Ashley's Bookshelf! Congratulations! I have already emailed you and if you haven't already, you should be receiving an email from Tina soon!

Also, thanks Tina for offering your book!

One Year Today

Today is the day. Today is the day that one year ago, I was sitting at this computer that I am sitting at now, it was late and I was incredibly bored, but I had a love for books, and I had nobody to share my thoughts about them with. So I created Reading Keeps You Sane. I thought I might share some stuff with you.

Firstly, how my blog title came to be. It's a little unusual, yes. It's not really a exciting story, but it's worth sharing at least. I hadn't really thought of getting a blog before the name came to be. On day, a few days before I believe, I was searching the internet for something, I'm not sure what, but I was, and I came across this picture of a dog, you know one of those dogs with the big eyes and nose or something that hallmark makes? This is the only picture I found:
I guess one picture I saw said something about insane or something on that order, and for some odd reason, I was like "Reading Keeps Me Sane" and then a few days later, I was creating a blog, and I was sitting there thinking up a name when I remembered the dog and the thing I thought of and I was like "Reading Keeps You Sane" and it does and Viola! Reading Keeps You Sane was born.

So there you have it. I just want to thank everybody for the fabulous year I had, and the hopefully years to come. To my 68 followers, and everybody that comments, and all the great friends I've made, and to all the awesome and creative authors I've gotten the chance to interview, and all the books I got to read. To everybody who has sent me free books to read. You have no idea how much of a joy ride I have had this past year. It's been fabulous and I can't wait until next year!

But if you have any questions about me that you want to aask, ask them below and I'll try to answer them on Staurday.

Thank you, thank you so very much. You have no idea what it means.

You Are So Undead To Me by Stacey Jay

Title: You Are So Undead To Me
Author: Stacey Jay
Publisher: Penguin
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: January 22, 2009
Pages: 256

Rating: B
Plot - 18/20
Characters - 15/20
Writing - 16/20
Originality - 19/20
Entertainment - 9/10
Recommendation - 8/10
Total: 85/100

Summary:
Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a whole bunch of semi-dead people with killer issues. All Megan really wants is to go to homecoming, but when you're trailed by a bunch of slobbering corpses whenever you leave the house, it's kinda hard to score a date. Let's just say Megan's love life could use some major resuscitation.

Megan's convinced her life can't get any worse - until someone in school starts using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into scary, hardcore flesh-eating Zombies. Now it's up to Megan to stop the Zombie apocalypse. Her life - and more importantly, the homecoming dance - depends on it.

Review:

I really enjoyed this novel. I haven't ever read a zombie novel and I just really enjoyed it. And since I haven't read any version of zombies before I can't really compare it or anything. But I think this had a little bit of everything in it. Romance, paranormal, suspense, mystery, action, and humor.

I thought that the whole plot and originality was great. The action and how Jay approached zombies was great. The action was something I really enjoyed. It was action with a twist. I thought Jay had impeccably created a new and same world.

The only thing I really didn't like with this novel was Megan and her obsession with homecoming and getting a date. It was annoying. And that even when she was fighting for her life she still thought about homecoming. At the beginning of the novel, my first impression of Megan was that she was very shallow and slightly annoying . . . but she really grew on me and in the end I actually really liked Megan as a character.

Stacey Jay was a good writer. I enjoyed her and her take on zombies, I mean really, who has ever heard of a Zombie Settler, I just can't get over that I think it's so neat. I think I've always had and interest in Zombies, and reading this book, I confirmed it. (Also if anybody has any suggestions on Zombie novels, they are greatly appreciated!) I cannot wait for the next novel in the Megan Berry Zombie Settler series, Undead Much, coming out soon enough!

Anniversary Week Contest

Hey Everybody, so I bet your expected to find out what the contest is about, and I'll tell you, but first you'll probably want to know who the special guest is, right? Well, she is the author of a new book in stores Thursday and it's the first book in a new series, about . . . Zombies! So, if you haven't already figured it out yet, our special guest this week is . . . Stacey Jay! Her novel, You Are So Undead To Me, will be out January 22 or Thursday. I read it and I highly enjoyed it, so you might want to buy a copy!

Anyhow, back to the contest. Stacey generously offered a You Are So Undead to Me t-shirt (Sizes Medium or Large) or a $10 Amazon Gift Card, no this might be confusing so pay close attention. It all depends on where the person lives for what prize, if the winner is from the United States, they'll win the awesome t-shirt, and if the winner is international, they'll win the Amazon gift certificate. To enter leave a comment with your name, email address, and if you live international or in the US of A. A winner will be chosen with a random number generator. This contest ends Thursday at 11:59 pm central. A winner will, hopefully, be posted on Friday!

(T-Shirt graphics on left---->)

Thank you and have fun commenting!

Blog Anniversary Week with Special Guest!

Hello!

So this week happens to be the the BIG week on my blog, it's very special and important to me. The week is the week I created this blog, the 1-year anniversary of this blog, Reading Keeps You Sane. More specifically it was born on January 21st of 2008. And this Wednesday marks one year from that time. SO this week it special we have a contest and a special interview with a new debut author. This authors debut novel actually release one day after my blog, you probably already guest who it is, but if you don't know, you will tomorrow. Just stay tuned and there will be special surprise for you all week long!

But I'll hold out on talking about my blog until Wednesday, but check back tomorrow for the contest!

Thanks everyone!

And We Have a Winner!

The winner of the prizes Jennifer Banash offered on the earlier On The Outside post last week is, picked my a random number generator, Deidre! Congratulations Deirdre! You will be receiving a signed copy of The Elite and In Too Deep, a custom CD, and a copy of Faketastic by Alexa Young. You shall receive an email from Jennifer soon.

Congratulations!

The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: The Comeback Season
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: March 2008
Pages: 256

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

Summary:
The last place Ryan Walsh should be this afternoon is on a train heading to Wrigley Field. She should be in class, enduring yet another miserable day of her first year of high school. But for once, Ryan isn't thinking about what she should be doing. She's not worried about her lack of friends, or her suffering math grade, or how it's been five whole years since the last time she was really and truly happy. Because she's finally returning to the place that her father loved, where the two of them spent so many afternoons cheering on their team. And on this -- the fifth anniversary of his death -- it feels like there's nowhere else in the world she should be.
Ryan is once again filled with hope as she makes her way to the game. Good luck is often hard to come by at a place like Wrigley Field, but it's on this day that she meets Nick, the new kid from her school, who seems to love the Cubs nearly as much as she does. But Nick carries with him a secret that makes Ryan wonder if anyone can ever really escape their past, or believe in the promise of those reassuring words: "Wait till next year." Is it too much for Ryan to hope that this year, this season, might be her comeback season?

Review:
I had heard so many great things about this novel, and I had high expectations. And they were filled to the brim. Smith crafted a calm, heartwarming and moving novel that will take your breath away. With Smith's composed writing style and touching characters, this book will grip tight and not let go. I read it on Sunday in one sitting, I could not part ways with it.

Ryan is a brilliant and delicate in her beautiful way. Her character is truly a unique character. All the characters Smith fashioned were all well defined. Her story was strictly a stunning story of loss, love, and most of all hope. Hope for the Cubs and for Nick both.

The fact that Smith added baseball as a common interest between Ryan and her dad and also for Ryan and Nick, and with out having it labeled as a 'baseball' read was fantastic. It's not about baseball, it's about the Cubs, as Ryan says, but also, like I said above, loss, love, and hope.

Jennifer E. Smith created a wonderfully enjoyable and highly recommend novel that I am sure anybody would love, because what's not to love about this novel?

"Waiting On" Wednesday (8)

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith
Available May 19, 2009

Emma Healy has never fit in with the rest of her family. She's grown used to being the only ordinary one among her rather extraordinary parents and siblings. But when she finds a birth certificate for a twin brother she never knew she had, along with a death certificate dated just two days later, she feels like a part of her has been justified in never feeling quite whole. Suddenly it seems important to visit his grave, to set off in search of her missing half. When her next-door neighbor Peter Finnegan -- who has a quiet affinity for maps and a desperate wish to escape their small town -- ends up coming along for the ride, Emma thinks they can't possibly have anything in common. But as they head from upstate New York toward North Carolina, driving a beat-up and technically stolen car and picking up a stray dog along the way, they find themselves learning more and more about each other. Neither is exactly sure what they're looking for, but with each passing mile, each new day of this journey, they seem to be getting much closer to finding it.

This book sounds so amazing, I just (just!) read The Comeback Season and it was fantastic (expect a review, hopefully, tomorrow!). So, I really can't wait for this one, it just sounds so amazing. I can't wait to read it! Plus I love the little details about the cover that make it what it is. The transparent map at the top, the pin in the title and the funky car, it's just a real breath-taking cover.

On The Outside: Tina Ferraro + Contest!

This week our guest for On The Outside is the very nice Tina Ferraro author of Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, which was a National Reader's Choice Finalist, How to Hook a Hottie, which was a Book Sense Top Teen Pick, and now The ABC's of Kissing Boys which is in bookstores every where today! Tina Ferraro lives in southern California. You can visit her online at www.tinaferraro.com.

The ABC's of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro
January 13th, 2009

Parker Stanhope has played soccer practically since she could walk. And now that she’s a high school junior, everything she’s worked for is finally coming together. She’s paid her dues on the field, and as an upperclassman, she’s a shoo-in for the varsity team. But that’s not what happens.

This year, Coach Hartley moved up every JV player but two—and one of those two was Parker. Now, she’s stuck with the freshmen, her friends are cutting her loose, and her love of the game is seriously beginning to fail. But Parker is determined to get her life back. She has to get on the varsity team, and she has the perfect plan. All she needs now is the right kind of coach.

~~~

Thank you, Kelsey, for inviting me to blog with you and your readers here at readingkeepsyousane!

My new book, The ABC's of Kissing Boys, hits bookshelves on January 13, 2009. And like the others before it (Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress and How to Hook a Hottie), it didn’t take off on the page until I had the right title.

Let’s go back two years...

I had been on the sidelines of our town’s holiday parade, with my husband, waiting (and waiting) for our kids to appear in their respective school groups. I’d resumed the brainstorming I’d been doing for weeks, trying to latch onto a title that could bring alive the concept had been circling in my head:

What if a soccer coach moved up the whole JV team to varsity--but one girl? Because the soccer coach had something to hide, and she was using this girl as her cover. And her teammates pull away--leaving her alone to fight the battle to get on Varsity.

Not an easy story to sum up in a title. Especially given the fact that I already had “self-help” type titles as my trademark. So as I watched the passing floats, bands, Scout troops and local politicians, my brain reeled. Thinking about words like “why” and “when” and “which” and then colors and numbers and letters.

Wait. Letters. A-B-C.

I turned to my husband in a total non-sequitor: “The ABC’s of...”

He shrugged. “Not bad. What? Soccer?”

“No. No...” Because for some reason, I wanted to say, “Kissing Guys.” But that made no sense. No sense! I had to keep thinking.

But by the next day, I knew I had my title. Although I’d changed it to The ABC’s of Kissing Boys because it sounded younger, which was what I was going for. But how in the world could I connect the dots between 26 ways to kiss boys and getting my main character promoted to varsity?

Little by little, those questions became answers, and soon I had an official blurb:

Parker Stanhope’s teammate friends got promoted to Varsity soccer without her. Desperate to make things right, she concocts a crazy-but-just-might-work plan that includes kissing the socks off the prom king at the Sports Fair Kissing Booth. Between now and then, she needs to learn everything she can about kissing--somehow. She finds a coach in the most unlikely of guys--and suddenly keeping that relationship a secret becomes as dire as her need to win back her soccer status and her friends.

I ended up having a blast writing this book, enjoying the storyline, the characters, and everything I had to learn about kissing. But I have to admit that there’s something called a Steam Kiss that shows up in the book that I didn’t actually try out. I’m hoping some readers will give it a go and report to me with their findings!

Meanwhile, I’m at work on book #4, called When Bad Flings Happen to Good Girls. And yeah, there’s a story behind that title, too--for another time!

~~~

Thanks, Tina!

Tina also generously offered a signed copy of The ABC's of Kissing Boys to one lucky winner who comments below. You have from now until January 20th, midnight central and this contest is International. Good luck!

If any author wants more details on how you can do an On The Outside post with me, please email me at kels.m.17@gmail.com with On The Outside in the subject line and I'll get to you immediately with the details!

Courage in Patience by Beth Fehlbaum

Title: Courage in Patience: A Story of Hope for Those Who Have Endured Abuse
Author: Beth Fehlbaum
Publisher: Kunati Incorporated
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Pages: 352

Rating: B
Plot - 16/20
Characters - 18/20
Writing - 19/20
Originality - 16/20
Entertainment - 8/10
Recommendation - 9/10
Total: 86/100

Summary:
After six years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse from her stepfather, 14-year-old Ashley finally finds the courage to reveal the painful details of her experiences with her mother, who refuses to acknowledge the problem and turns her back on her daughter. After confiding in her teacher—the only adult whom Ashley can trust—she is removed from her home and sent to live with her father and his second wife, Beverly, an English teacher. Nurtured by Beverly, an extraordinarily positive influence in her life, Ashley and a summer school class of troubled teens learn to face their fears and discover who they really are.

Review:
I'm kind of excited and nervous to write this review because in my head, it's just gibberish. All my thoughts are jumbled together. I got very mixed thoughts from this novel and I have no idea how I might put it into words, but here I go.

I loved the beginning of Courage in Patience. It was of Ashley looking back of what brought her to where she is now in Patience. The beginning was really strong and intense and I thought it was a fantastic start to what I was expecting a fantastic novel. But then she got to Patience.

In Patience is where my thoughts started to slur. Ash hadn't seen her father since she was three months old. But why wasn't he in the novel more? It was more of Ash coming to terms with her step-mother and her summer school teacher. Which I thought was odd. David, Ash's father was only there when Ash was in trouble, but I felt like he should've been there more then her step-mother.

Now, on to Summer School. When this part of the novel happened, I was a little shocked when the narration from Ash in first person went to a summer school classmate of hers or a relative of a classmate or even a random, well not totally, person in town in third person. I felt it took away from Ash's story, and when the narration kept changing and was barely ever back to Ashley in the end half of the novel, I got annoyed. I didn't want to hear about these stories, Ashley started this story, I was expecting Ash to go through to the end with it, but no. I was just hoping it would tie up in the end of why Fehlbaum was changing narration in the middle of the book, and it indeed did. But I still felt like it took away from Ashley and her story of recovering from sexual abuse. I was wishing it had been Ashley through-and-through.

Now, that doesn't mean I hated the novel, no, it was from from that. I enjoyed it, I loved it. The characters were extremely well defined from Ashley to her classmates to Bev and David, very three-dimensional and extremely well done. The writing was fantastic, even with the different narrations this novel showed the emotions great and the idea was great.

I know this novel says for all who have endured abuse, and Fehlbaum shows the different abuses all over this novel, from racism to homosexuals to parents underestimating kids, etc, etc. It is definitely a story of hope for those who have endured abuse, my only wish is that is was told through Ashley entirely.

So, yes. This novel was fantastic. Extremely well. Fehlbaum gives a light of hope with all those people out there who have had there troubles and she does so with three-demensional characters and terrific writing, and most definitely, hope. I recommend this novel.

(Thanks to Beth for this novel!)

In My Mailbox

This week I got three books so I'd thought I'd post this.

Courage in Patience by Beth Fahlbaum

After six years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse from her stepfather, 14-year-old Ashley finally finds the courage to reveal the painful details of her experiences with her mother, who refuses to acknowledge the problem and turns her back on her daughter. After confiding in her teacher—the only adult whom Ashley can trust—she is removed from her home and sent to live with her father and his second wife, Beverly, an English teacher. Nurtured by Beverly, an extraordinarily positive influence in her life, Ashley and a summer school class of troubled teens learn to face their fears and discover who they really are.

Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Phoebe is just your typical goth girl with a crush. He’s strong and silent -- and dead.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is happening. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. They are coming back to life, but they are no longer the same -- they stutter, and their reactions to everything are slower. Termed "living impaired" or "differently biotic," they are doing their best to fit into a society that doesn’t want them.

Fitting in is hard enough when you don’t have the look or attitude, but when almost everyone else is alive and you’re not, it’s close to impossible. The kids at Oakvale High don’t want to take classes or eat in the cafeteria next to someone who isn’t breathing. And there are no laws that exist to protect the differently biotic from the people who want them to disappear -- for good.

With her pale skin and Goth wardrobe, Phoebe has never run with the popular crowd. But no one can believe it when she falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids. Not her best friend, Margi, whose fear of the differently biotic is deeply rooted in guilt over the past. And especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has just realized his feelings for Phoebe run much deeper than just friendship. He would do anything for her, but what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?

Generation Dead is a sharp, funny, and breathtakingly original novel from an exciting new talent.

The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith

The last place Ryan Walsh should be this afternoon is on a train heading to Wrigley Field. She should be in class, enduring yet another miserable day of her first year of high school. But for once, Ryan isn't thinking about what she should be doing. She's not worried about her lack of friends, or her suffering math grade, or how it's been five whole years since the last time she was really and truly happy. Because she's finally returning to the place that her father loved, where the two of them spent so many afternoons cheering on their team. And on this -- the fifth anniversary of his death -- it feels like there's nowhere else in the world she should be.
Ryan is once again filled with hope as she makes her way to the game. Good luck is often hard to come by at a place like Wrigley Field, but it's on this day that she meets Nick, the new kid from her school, who seems to love the Cubs nearly as much as she does. But Nick carries with him a secret that makes Ryan wonder if anyone can ever really escape their past, or believe in the promise of those reassuring words: "Wait till next year." Is it too much for Ryan to hope that this year, this season, might be her comeback season?

I got Courage in Patience to review and the last two from BookSwim. I've already read and reviewed Courage in Patience, so check for the review tomorrow.

How To Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

Title: How To Ditch Your Fairy
Author: Justine Larbalestier
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 2008
Pages: 320

Rating: B+
Plot - 18/20
Characters - 17/20
Writing - 17/20
Originality - 20/20
Entertainment - 9/10
Recommendation - 8/10
Total: 89/100

Summary:
Welcome to New Avalon, where everyone has a personal fairy. Though invisible to the naked eye, a personal fairy, like a specialized good luck charm, is vital to success. And in the case of the students at New Avalon Sports High, it might just determine whether you make the team, pass a class, or find that perfect outfit. But for 14-year-old Charlie, having a Parking Fairy is worse than having nothing at all—especially when the school bully carts her around like his own personal parking pass. Enter: The Plan. At first, teaming up with arch-enemy Fiorenza (who has an All-The-Boys-Like-You Fairy) seems like a great idea. But when Charlie unexpectedly gets her heart’s desire, it isn’t at all what she thought it would be like, and she’ll have resort to extraordinary measures to ditch her fairy. The question is: will Charlie herself survive the fairy ditching experiment?

Review:
Okay, so I think this is generally one of the coolest novels I have read. There was a meaning behind it: be thankful for what you have, and I think this novel was just so . . . neat and interesting. I literally fell in love with Charlie's world. I loved the thought of fairies, and separate schools for arts and sports and just every thing about the novel was so original and creative and addictive.

I think the only thing that really I didn't like was the fact that Charlie was SO determined to get rid of her fairy. But I only didn't like a little bit though, because it was the whole point of the novel. I just wish there was a little bit more to it. But still, I really enjoyed the creativity and originality of the novel.

Larbalestier wrote an incredibly airy and light read that will keep a smile on one's face. Her writing really just is very entertaining and light and just has a fresh touch to it, that is enjoyable. The characters weren't strong characters, but they were fun. So, you know, as you can guess. I just really enjoyed this novel.

So, I recommend this novel for anybody who wants a light read for a snowy or rainy day.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (7)

I know this book comes out in like 3 weeks, but I don't care. This book has interested my forever and I can't wait for it.

Evermore by Alyson Noel February 3, 2009

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste…

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

On The Outside: Jennifer Banash + Contest!

Jennifer Banash is the author of THE ELITE series, and the second novel in the series, IN TOO DEEP is in bookstores today! Jennifer is very nice person and her story is just a great and interesting one. You can visit Jennifer at http://www.theelitebooks.com/ So please welcome, Jennifer!

~~~

I wish I could say that the road leading to the title of IN TOO DEEP was smooth and effortless, but that’s not exactly the way it went down. Since one of the main characters in the series, Casey McCloy, loves all things 80’s from films to music, I wanted each volume of THE ELITE series to be titled after an 80’s song. My editor, Kate Seaver and I made list after list of song titles. I would come up with what I thought was an AMAZING title, only to have Kate take it over to the marketing department for them to veto (yes, they do have a say in such things, unfortunately). I really wanted the book to be named after an 80’s song that I actually liked—and that I thought Casey would like as well. OUR LIPS ARE SEALED (who doesn’t love the Go-Go’s?) was my absolute favorite title for a few weeks, but marketing thought it was too close to THE CLIQUE novel that was out at the time entitled SEALED WITH A DISS. BIZZARE LOVE TRIANGLE, DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME? and LOVE WILL TEAR US APART were also considered briefly before being consigned to the dustbin of history. IN TOO DEEP was on the shortlist of titles, and had never been my first choice, but when marketing saw it, they immediately gravitated toward it. I have to confess, when the title was chosen I felt decidedly meh about it. I had already fought my battle for the cover I wanted, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to have both without a real fight. But after a while, the IN TOO DEEP began to grow on me, and now I actually love it! Maybe marketing knew something I didn’t . . .

One thing that almost nobody knows about the title is that it refers to a song by the band Dead or Alive—they had a huge hit back in the day with “You Spin Me Round’ Like a Record,” and “In Too Deep” is a song off their bestselling CD YOUTHQUAKE. One of my fondest memories is seeing Dead or Alive in concert in London when I was just a teenager, dancing around like a lunatic on top of an enormous speaker, so in that way, the title really is fitting and special to me. Most people think that the title comes from the Phil Collins song by the same name, which is unfortunate, because I really, really can’t stand that track! (I couldn’t even abide it IN the 80’s LOL!)

So, what YA titles do YOU really like, and why?

~~~

Thank you so much Jennifer! I hope you have a fantastic release day!

Jennifer also generously offered to host a contest, to win a copy of THE ELITE, IN TOO DEEP, and also Alexa Young's new novel which is also released today, FAKETASTIC and a CD that inspired IN TOO DEEP comment below by January 13th midnight central time. This contest is International! Everybody who commented already, sorry, you have to comment again to enter the contest! Sorry!

If any author wants more details on how you can do an On The Outside post with me, please email me at kels.m.17@gmail.com with On The Outside in the subject line and I'll get to you immediately with the details!

Marked by PC Cast and Kristin Cast

Title: Marked
Author: PC Cast and Kristin Cast
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 2007
Pages: 320

Rating: C+
Plot - 17/20
Characters - 15/20
Writing - 15/20
Originality - 18/20
Entertainment - 7/10
Recommendation - 7/10
Total: 79/100

Summary:
Enter the dark, magical world of The House of Night, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed. Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has just been Marked as a fledgling vampyre and joins the House of Night, a school where she will train to become an adult vampire. That is, if she makes it through the Change--and not all of those who are Marked do. It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends, and on top of that, Zoey is no average fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Zoey discovers she has amazing powers, but along with her powers come bloodlust and an unfortunate ability to Imprint her human ex-boyfriend. To add to her stress, she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers: When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

Review:
When I first started this book, it got me hooked. The writing was neat and the characters cool. But soon enough, it got . . . strange. Some of it felt unreal, and some of it was just plain weird. Like Zoey and her deal with the words 'pooh' and 'poopy'. And Erin and Shaunee with that 'Twin' thing. It's just not real, you know.

But other then that. The plot was very interesting. Zoey and her transition through The Change was peculiar, but it kept me reading (after I stopped to read Marley and Me.) Zoey and her friends were kind of two-dimensional. The Casts were average writers, good, but not anything spectacular.

The whole plot was very original and alluring. The beginning was exciting, the middle was slow and the end was entrancing. Riveting enough that I want to read the next novel in the House of Night series, Betrayed, but maybe not right away.

Mackenzie, Lost and Found by Deborah Kerbel

Title: Mackenzie, Lost and Found
Author: Deborah Kerbel
Publisher: Dundurn Group
Reading Level: Yound Adult
Publication Date: November 17, 2008
Pages: 249

Rating: A-
Plot - 18/20
Characters - 17/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 20/20
Entertainment - 9/10
Recommendation - 9/10
Total: 91/100

Summary:
Still mourning the sudden loss of her mother, fifteen-year old Mackenzie Hill feels like she’s drowning in a sea of pain and loneliness. To make matters worse, her eccentric father is forcing her to leave behind the only home she’s ever known and move with him to Israel.

Coming of age in the ancient city of Jerusalem, Mackenzie quickly becomes caught up in a forbidden romance and an unwitting involvement in a shadowy ring of black-market bandits. Can she solve the mystery of the stolen artifacts without betraying her first love? And will she finally come to terms with the grief that had been slowly eating away at her heart…here in the last place in the world she ever wanted to be?

Review:
I was a little hesitant about starting this book because I wasn't so sure that it would be really my type of book. But once I started it, I couldn't stop reading. The book starts if Mackenzie and her dad in the Israeli Airport, and them discover firsthand what Israel will be like. Which is insane. Getting a look at what Jerusalem is like was just crazy. You wouldn't expect what it's like there unless you've been there or study it or something. But it shocked me, to tell you the least.

Mackenzie is a young innocent girl before she moved to Jerusalem, and when reading this book, she changed, and you could see it. This book really is a poignant coming of age story with a twist.
The fact the Mackenzie's and Nasir's relationship was a forbidden one is Nasir's family's eyes because of their Muslim religion, made the book even more addicting.

The outcome of the novel was semi-satisfying. I thought it was a good ending, but, from my love of the characters, was hoping for something else to go down. But, I was happy with it.

Kerbel is a great writer. With a writing style that is familiar but distinctive at once. She gives a taste of what's there but keeps you wanting more and more. Overall, this novel was a very well done and extremely original. I hope to read more of Kerbel soon enough.

On The Outside: Aimee Friedman

Happy New Year! I hope everybody had an awesome one and today we have an awesome author doing an On The Outside post today!

For the On The Outside post today, we have the amazing author Aimee Friedman! Aimee Friedman is the author of several books: A Novel Idea, South Beach, The Year My Sister Got Lucky and the forthcoming Sea Change. Aimee lives, works, and writes in Manhattan. Today I was honored to host this blog about how the title came to be for her latest novel, that I hear is just fabulous, The Year My Sister Got Lucky. You can visit Aimee at www.aimeefriedmanbooks.com. So, please, welcome Aimee!

~~~

It's fun to think back on the process of titling a book, because often a title--like a novel--will go through several stages before it feels just right. This was definitely the case with THE YEAR MY SISTER GOT LUCKY.

My idea for the novel grew out of a short story I had written in college, about two sisters in ballet school (based very much on my own experiences as a younger sister and an aspiring dancer). The title of the short story was PAS DE DEUX--the ballet term for a dance performed by two people--and, for a long time, I thought about calling the novel the same thing. After all, the novel is about two sisters, Katie and Michaela Wilder, who study ballet in New York City until they have to move upstate to a small mountain town, where one of them starts to lose interest in dance...and gain interest in boys.

But the more I worked on the novel, the more I realized that a) its title should probably be in English and b) it was about so much more than ballet. It was about friendship and change. It was about first crushes and first kisses. And it was about secrets.

So when I handed in my first draft manuscript to my editor, the title I put on the first page was THE SECRETS OF THE WILDER SISTERS. I felt that the title captured the spirit of the book, and was just juicy enough. But my very wise and clever editor thought the title could be even juicier, more eye-catching, --and funnier. We had a brainstorming session, during which she suggested THE YEAR MY SISTER GOT LUCKY.

At first, I balked. "Getting lucky" has some interesting, perhaps too-mature connotations. But as I mulled it over, and began revising the book, I understood how fully the theme of luck--of fortune, and destiny-- played into the story. I liked how the title posed a kind of question, a mystery, an intrigue for the reader to puzzle over--who was this sister? In what way was she lucky? And, like a catchy pop song that sticks with you, the title took hold of my imagination. And, as I handed in my final revision, I told my editor I was on board.

THE YEAR MY SISTER GOT LUCKY came out about a year ago, in January 2008--the paperback will be in bookstores this summer, right alongside my newest novel, SEA CHANGE (a title story for another post!) --and countless readers have told me how much they like the title, and the cover. I'm thrilled to know that the title leads people to pick up the book, to enter into the world of the Wilder sisters and laugh and cry and cheer them on. When I hear from my readers, there's no other word to describe how I feel except, well...lucky.

~~~

Thank you so much for coming by Aimee, I can't wait to have a chance to read The Year My Sister Got Lucky!

If any author wants more details on how you can do an On The Outside post with me, please email me at kels.m.17@gmail.com with On The Outside in the subject line and I'll get to you immediately with the details!