BLOG TOUR: As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

Welcome to the next Traveling to Teens book blog tour!

Amazon.com:

Ever since viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently summons a young genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.

Jinn is anxious to return home, but Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she will not wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, the lines between master and servant begin to blur, and soon Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn as well . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.

Jackson Pearce spins a magical tale about star-crossed lovers, what it means to belong . . . and how important it is to be careful what you wish for.

As You Wish was a great mix of things; romance, friendship, magic, finding yourself and many other things. I found the premise very interesting, a girl finds out her best friend and boyfriend is actually gay. I mean man that must really take away your confidence and break you. And it sure breaks Viola who never realized anything was missing in her life until this happened. And now she finds herself trying to fill the hole that Lawrence left went he went back to being her friend instead of her boyfriend.

And it's through her silent wishes that a jinn comes into her life determined to grant her 3 wishes so he can get back to Caliban and take as few hours and days off his life as possible. Viola takes these wishes very seriously and comes to see Jinn as she calls him (instead of a jinn) as a friend. He doesn't really understand her because he's never been treated like this before. While Viola figures out what she would most want to use her wishes for, what would make her happy their friendship evolves into something more, something closer.

As You Wish was a great story of a girl finding herself, her confidence and maybe even a bit of love. I loved that she was an artist and also found herself a new path via her painting style. My ears perk up anytime art enters the picture!

While Viola made a great lead character I also loved her friend and ex-boyfriend Lawrence. He really had her back and tried to help her pick up the pieces of her life, boy does he feel guilty for coming out to her and changing their relationship. And Jinn, oh Jinn. What a sweetheart. He has this internal struggle that is really interesting. He loves his life back home but realizes maybe there is something more and maybe he's brave enough to go for it, maybe not.

Overall a clever and funny magical story of love, friendship and finding yourself!

As You Wish will be released August 25th!
Genre: Young Adult
4/5 Stars
ARC provided by author for blog tour

The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill S. Alexander

Amazon.com:
Almost-15-year-old Austin Gray is tired of standing at the curb and watching the parade pass her by. Literally. She decides this is the year she’ll ride on the hood of a shiny pickup truck in the annual parade, waving to the crowd and finally showing the town bully that she’s got what it takes to be the Sweetheart of Prosper County.

But far from simply being a beauty contest, becoming Sweetheart involves participation in the Future Farmers of America (FFA), raising an animal, and hunting or fishing. Austin will do almost anything to become Sweetheart, and has the support of her oldest friend, Maribel, her new FFA friends (including the reigning Sweetheart, and a quiet, cute cowboy), an evangelical Elvis impersonator, a mysterious Cajun outcast, and a rooster named Charles Dickens. If only her momma would stop overprotecting her, and start letting Austin live her own life. But Austin can’t move on until Momma moves on, too—and lets the grief of losing Austin’s daddy several years before out into the open.

Here is a bighearted story that will leave readers agreeing with Austin that sometimes, it’s not what you ride, it’s how you roll.

This has got to be one of the darn cutest, wholesome books I've read in awhile. I'm not sure if I've read anything like it! It just worked for me! I really don't have any complaints! It really has all that you could ask for, family, friends, a stupid bully, a touch of romance, eccentric town folks, and a rooster named Charles Dickens! I wish I could have visited this town!

I loved Austin Gray, she loves her momma, misses her daddy and just wants to get through high school without being picked on by bully Dean. She sees all the sweethearts in the parade pay him no mind and she decides that's the way she can finally stick it to Dean. To do so she'll need to join FFA (the Future Farmers of America) and also care for an animal for the purpose of showing him. The animal she picks is a rooster and oh boy does he come to life on the page! I loved Charles Dickens the rooster!

Before Austin decides to go out of FFA she had a friend named Maribel who is very confident in herself and never lets anyone's taunts get her done. While Austin makes some new friends in FFA she never abandons her friendship with Maribel and I just love that. It shows that while maybe your interests change and evolve a bit doesn't mean you have to leave your old friends behind for new ones. The friends she make in FFA are very kind to Austin and show her the ropes a bit and also help her out a bit with Dean! Sundi the past sweetheart is especially memorable.

Another memorable character is a boy that's an Elvis Performance Artist, as he puts it. He adds a great bit of humor and also classic manners to the story. Another character I really liked was Mr. Boudreaux who watches out for Austin and her momma. This story had a great cast of characters.

Overall a great book with a lot of heartwarming moments and also some good fun!

The Sweetheart of Prosper County will be released September 1st.
Genre: Young Adult
4.5/5 Stars
ARC provided by Amazon Vine

This Week In Books or I Only Bought One + Some Surprises!

Monday: nothing

Tuesday:

Pop Princess by Rachel Cohn

I escaped the library buying only one book and that is probably because I cleaned out all their good stuff in the previous weeks. :P

Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan

Surprise for review, and yay! I'm excited it's alternative perspectives!

Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen
Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have
The Hollow by Jessica Verday

These came from a book fairy... and good thing too because I can use Food for a blog tour!

Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson
Love Stars With Elle by Rachel Hauck

I mooched these from Yan.

Wednesday: nothing

Thursday:

Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen

This is from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program (which I really need to get caught up on)

Ferris Beach by Jill McCorkle

Surprise for review! Looks like it's a reprint and a blurb from Sarah Dessen!

Friday:

The Resurrectionist by Jack O'Connell

Another surprise for review!

Saturday:

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

I won this by being one of the first 3 people to respond to an email. LOL, the perks of working on a computer!

Tonight's Louder Than Words Episode: How to Break Into Publishing for Teen Writers

To see tonight's episode go back to the original post here! Marni will also be back tonight!

Read my introductory post about the series here! To visit the series website go here!

I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Friday, August 14, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Deborah Reber, Series Editor
Topic: How to Break Into Publishing for Teen Writers

Description: On Friday, series editor Deborah Reber will answer questions about how teen writers can break into publishing. All the "Louder Than Words" authors were teen writers when they were first published. Some made money as writers. All of them wrote on the Internet, and made friends with writers online. One of the author's moms is a writer. If you have something better to do Friday night, you can watch replay on demand at louderthanwordsbooks.com.

Lookalikes 62

Discovering Pig Magic by Julie Crabtree

Here's To You, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume

These are both rather nice but I'm not really a fan of the HUGE AUTHOR NAMES and the cropping on Pig Magic is more interesting and also features one of my favorite fonts so it wins in my book!

Which is your favorite!

Thanks goes to Sarah and Korianne who also noticed this lookalike!

The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

Not the same but similar enough for me. I love this angle!

Tonight's Louder Than Words Episode: Assembling a New Life with Pieces from the Past

To see tonight's episode go back to the original post here!

Read my introductory post about the series here! To visit the series website go here!

I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Thursday, August 13, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Chelsey Shannon, author of "Chelsey"
Topic: Assembling a New Life with Pieces from the Past

Description: Join us Thursday night as Chelsey Shannon, author of "Chelsey," talks about fashioning a new life for herself after her father was murdered a week before her 14th birthday and she had to move away from home and school. She'll talk about overcoming grief, and how she discovered a group of women writers who helped her get over.

BLOG TOUR: Two Years, No Rain by Shawn Klomparens

TLC Book Tours:

An earnest journey from heartache to heartthrob and all the emotions along the way; at once an old-fashioned love story and a cautionary tale of self-reinvention.

In San Diego County, it hasn’t rained in 580 days. But for weatherman Andy Dunne, everything else is changing fast…Only a few weeks ago, he was a newly divorced, slightly overweight meteorologist for an obscure satellite radio station, hiding his secret love for a colleague, the beautiful—and very much married—Hillary Hsing. But nearly overnight, Andy has landed a new gig, flying a magic carpet in a bizarre live-action children’s TV show. So what is affable, basically decent Andy Dunne going to do now that he can do practically anything he wants? With a parade of hot moms begging for his autograph and a family that needs his help more than ever, Andy has a lot of choices. First, though, there’s this thing with Hillary, their heated text messages, a long-awaited forecast for rain – and a few other surprises he never saw coming…

Two Years, No Rain was a really engaging story. I really liked the character of Andy, he was a good guy, with a lot of problems recently thrown at him and I think he handles himself really well. In the beginning I felt bad for him and then when things start to look up for him I was cheering for him all the way. A lot of people in his position (being the star of a kids show kind of like Blues Clues) might let it get to their head and turn into a not so nice, cocky guy but Andy wasn't like it. He still helped his sister with her daughter and still lusted from mostly afar for his married friend Hillary (Hill). Nothing much changed in Andy's personality except that he became happier and finally had the strength to get in shape physically.

I really liked the passages that took place in the studio where Andy filmed his children's show. It sounded like a lot of fun. I also really liked his strange relationship with the peculiar Hillary. I didn't exactly understand her but I somehow still really liked her. You could tell how much she meant to Andy and vice versa even though she was still married. Usually that would be instantly off-putting that they were having an emotional affair but I found it really sweet.

I liked the weather theme used throughout the book, Andy was originally a weatherman, first on tv and then on the radio and the whole idea of the drought used in the book. I thought it matched Andy's life perfectly and I found it to be a really nice touch.

Overall I really engaging story about a man picking up the pieces of his life.

Two Years, No Rain was released June 23rd.
Genre: Fiction
4/5 Stars
ARC provided by author for blog tour
Shawn Klomparens's website

Tonight's Louder Than Words Episode: Sickness and Faith, Pickles and Cake

To see tonight's episode go back to the original post here!

Read my introductory post about the series here! To visit the series website go here!

I can't wait to hear your thoughts! Even though we have some technical difficulties last night, Marni was a lot of fun to chat with!

Wednesday, August 12, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Emily Smucker, author of "Emily"
Topic: Sickness and Faith, Pickles and Cake

Description: Join us Wednesday when Emily Smucker will answer questions about what it's like getting through senior year with a chronic illness. Emily is a Mennonite but, don't worry, it's not contagious. She'll also talk about blogging and writing books.

"Waiting On" Wednesday! 43

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

From Publisher:

A vibrant and deeply romantic debut.

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center sate of her own life-and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, and the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

Released March 9th 2010

Oooh sounds like a mixture of a lot of things here. Love, loss, coming out of one's shell. I definitely think I will like this!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Tonight's Louder Than Words Episode: Compulsive Behavior and How the Internet Can Help

To see tonight's episode go back to the original post here!

Read my introductory post about the series here! To visit the series website go here!

I can't wait to hear your thoughts! Last night's chat was wonderful, and you know me, I had to ask a question about the covers!

Tuesday, August 11, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Marni Bates, author of "Marni"
Topic: Compulsive Behavior and How the Internet Can Help

Description: Join us Tuesday night as teen author Marni Bates answers questions about her book, "Marni." Marni has trichotillomania -- a irresistible desire to pull out her own hair. What do you have? Marni discusses how the Internet helped her understand the problem, and also how she feels about having her secrets revealed in a book.

Hardcover vs. Paperback 41

Driftwood Summer by Patti Callahan Henry

Hardcover-Large Print

Paperback

Amazon.com:

An engaging novel of sisters, from the acclaimed author who “writes movingly about love and family and the voyage we all take to discover what we really value.”(The Island Packet)

Three sisters— responsible Riley, vivacious Maisy, and fun-loving Adalee—reunite to save the family’s beach-community bookstore. But summer also marks the return of Mack Logan, whose choice of Maisy over Riley years ago destroyed the special closeness between the sisters…

Now Riley, a single mom, is hiding a shattering secret about their mother. Maisy, a California designer, still blames Riley for ruining her one true love. And Adalee resents the family’s intrusion into her summer plans. All three will be forced to confront the conflicts that tore them apart and the bounds of love and loyalty that still draw them together…

I think this may have been the first time I've encountered a Large Print edition with a different cover that the original version. If that was also the cover of the paperback I definitely wouldn't have been nearly as drawn to it as I was. I love the colors and image used on the paperback so that wins by a landslide in my book!

Hardcover or Paperback?

Louder Than Words Live Streaming Videos

Check out my introductory post about the series here.



Schedule from the HCI website:

Monday, August 10, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Deborah Reber, Series Editor
Topic: Introducing the Louder Than Words Series

Description: Join us Monday night as Deborah Reber, editor of the new series of teen-authored memoirs, "Louder Than Words," gives us the story behind the series. How were the teen authors chosen? How were the books put together? Who is the series written for? What kind of feedback are you getting? Are there more books coming? How can I be a "Louder Than Words" author?


Tuesday, August 11, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Marni Bates, author of "Marni"
Topic: Compulsive Behavior and How the Internet Can Help

Description: Join us Tuesday night as teen author Marni Bates answers questions about her book, "Marni." Marni has trichotillomania -- a irresistible desire to pull out her own hair. What do you have? Marni discusses how the Internet helped her understand the problem, and also how she feels about having her secrets revealed in a book.


Wednesday, August 12, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Emily Smucker, author of "Emily"
Topic: Sickness and Faith, Pickles and Cake

Description: Join us Wednesday when Emily Smucker will answer questions about what it's like getting through senior year with a chronic illness. Emily is a Mennonite but, don't worry, it's not contagious. She'll also talk about blogging and writing books.


Thursday, August 13, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Chelsey Shannon, author of "Chelsey"
Topic: Assembling a New Life with Pieces from the Past

Description: Join us Thursday night as Chelsey Shannon, author of "Chelsey," talks about fashioning a new life for herself after her father was murdered a week before her 14th birthday and she had to move away from home and school. She'll talk about overcoming grief, and how she discovered a group of women writers who helped her get over.


Friday, August 14, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Deborah Reber, Series Editor
Topic: How to Break Into Publishing for Teen Writers

Description: On Friday, series editor Deborah Reber will answer questions about how teen writers can break into publishing. All the "Louder Than Words" authors were teen writers when they were first published. Some made money as writers. All of them wrote on the Internet, and made friends with writers online. One of the author's moms is a writer. If you have something better to do Friday night, you can watch replay on demand at louderthanwordsbooks.com.

Be sure to stop back at this same post tomorrow night for the next installment of the live web series!

BLOG TOUR: Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

Amazon.com:

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.

Jumping Off Swings was this sort of quiet and powerful story full of emotion and a life changing year. I thought a real strength of the book was the alternating perspective. I found it fascinating to see Ellie's pregnancy through her eyes but also the eyes of the father of her child, Josh and their close friends, Corinne and Caleb. Seeing the events play out from all 4 of their perspectives really made the story well rounded.

I feel like I've been reading and watching shows dealing with pregnancy a lot lately and teen pregnancy in specific. But Jumping Off Swings definitely stands out for me as the most interesting story. I really like the way in which the author uses her words. It could have been very easy to be really frustrated with some of these characters or just flat out thought a few of the secondary characters were giant idiots but no, the author makes them all rather sympathetic. I liked the way in which we got to know or hear about their parents or their siblings, their own separate life that comes into play when interacting with the other 3 main characters. Rich backgrounds for characters really help enhance a story for me, they make everything much more meaningful.

Jumping Off Swings was released August 11th
Genre: Young Adult
4/5 Stars
ARC provided by publisher for blog tour

Louder Than Words Series + Live Streaming Broadcasts

Last week, Louder Than Words a wonderful and unique concept was brought to my attention. I'm very excited to be able to share it with you. Louder Than Words is a series of teen authored memoirs being published in August by HCI Books (same publisher as Everything Sucks). They are releasing their first three memoirs which are (from the Louder Than Words website):

Marni

Marni pulls. Her hair, that is.

Struggling with the stress disorder trichotillomania, Marni’s compulsion to yank out her eyebrows, eyelashes…even the hair from the top of her head, makes surviving high school no easy feat.

When Marni first started pulling, it helped her turn off her brain and escape the stresses of the world around her. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize she was hooked until it was way too late.

Emily

Emily’s the sick one. All of the time.

Plagued with some sort of cold or fever or bizarre ache or pain for much of her life, Emily thought the dizziness and stomachaches at the start of her senior year were just another bout of “Emily flu.” But when they didn’t go away, she knew something serious was wrong.

Eventually diagnosed with the rare and incurable West Nile virus, Emily watched her senior year and the future she had planned for go up in smoke.

Chelsey

Chelsey was dealt the unthinkable.

When her only surviving parent, her beloved father, was violently murdered days before her fourteenth birthday, Chelsey’s life was forever changed.

Forced to come to terms with a new home life, a new school…a new identity as an orphan, Chelsey struggled to make sense of her personal tragedy and find a way to flourish despite the odds.

Here's the book trailer!



Don't those sound amazing? And what's really cool is starting tomorrow every night next week we can watch Louder Than Words TV which features live streaming videos of the authors of the books and the editor of the series.

Check out the schedule below.

Tomorrow night I will post the streaming video on my blog for us all to check out. Monday to Friday at 8-9 pm ET time we can check out the videos via that same post. I can't wait to watch them and learn more about these amazing young voices and their new series.

Schedule from the HCI website:

Monday, August 10, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Deborah Reber, Series Editor
Topic: Introducing the Louder Than Words Series

Description: Join us Monday night as Deborah Reber, editor of the new series of teen-authored memoirs, "Louder Than Words," gives us the story behind the series. How were the teen authors chosen? How were the books put together? Who is the series written for? What kind of feedback are you getting? Are there more books coming? How can I be a "Louder Than Words" author?


Tuesday, August 11, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Marni Bates, author of "Marni"
Topic: Compulsive Behavior and How the Internet Can Help

Description: Join us Tuesday night as teen author Marni Bates answers questions about her book, "Marni." Marni has trichotillomania -- a irresistible desire to pull out her own hair. What do you have? Marni discusses how the Internet helped her understand the problem, and also how she feels about having her secrets revealed in a book.


Wednesday, August 12, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Emily Smucker, author of "Emily"
Topic: Sickness and Faith, Pickles and Cake

Description: Join us Wednesday when Emily Smucker will answer questions about what it's like getting through senior year with a chronic illness. Emily is a Mennonite but, don't worry, it's not contagious. She'll also talk about blogging and writing books.


Thursday, August 13, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Chelsey Shannon, author of "Chelsey"
Topic: Assembling a New Life with Pieces from the Past

Description: Join us Thursday night as Chelsey Shannon, author of "Chelsey," talks about fashioning a new life for herself after her father was murdered a week before her 14th birthday and she had to move away from home and school. She'll talk about overcoming grief, and how she discovered a group of women writers who helped her get over.


Friday, August 14, 8-9 p.m. ET
Guest: Deborah Reber, Series Editor
Topic: How to Break Into Publishing for Teen Writers

Description: On Friday, series editor Deborah Reber will answer questions about how teen writers can break into publishing. All the "Louder Than Words" authors were teen writers when they were first published. Some made money as writers. All of them wrote on the Internet, and made friends with writers online. One of the author's moms is a writer. If you have something better to do Friday night, you can watch replay on demand at louderthanwordsbooks.com.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow night for the first installment of the live web series!

**I received the series in exchange for posting this announcement**

This Week In Books Or I Got A Little Extra Grabby At the Library Book Store

Monday:

Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker

Came for review

Tuesday:

We Are So Crashing Your Bar Mitzvah!! Fiona Rosenbloom
Educating Esme by Esme Raji Codell
Getting to the Third Date by Kelly McClymer
What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles
6X: Loud, Fast, and Out of Control by Nina Malkin
Animal Attraction by Jamie Ponti
More Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet by Lola Douglas
So Super Starry by Rose Wilkins
Emily Goldbery Learns to Salsa by Micol Ostow
Black box by Julie Schumacher
My Desperate Love Diary by Liz Rettig
Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande
Strange Relations by Sonia Levitin

Went a little crazy at the library...

Wednesday:

Italian for Beginners by Kristin Harmel

For review.

Thursday:
113 Things to Do by 13 by Brittany MacLeod and Terri MacLeod
Friends Like These by Danny Wallace

For review.

Friday/Saturday:

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

For review!!

Winner of The Sweet Life of Stella Madison

The winner of the Sweet Life of Stella Madison is Ninja Fanpire!

I have emailed you, please get back to me with your mailing address by Thursday!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Amazon.com:

Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.

So took me long enough to read this yeah? So this was weird it was exactly what I thought it would be but not at all both at the same time. I'm really not sure how to explain that though, so it's pretty much a useless statement.

I really enjoyed Katniss's story, she was a really strong and protective character. I would definitely say she was the way she was because of the circumstances of her life, her father dying when she was still a child and having to basically take care of herself, her little sister, and her mother in his absence. Basically her life of hunting and having to be the strong one in her family prepares her for being part of the Hunger Games. I liked that she wasn't a girly girl at all!

While I wouldn't say this is in a class of it's own plot-wise, (I've heard of other stories and short stories that share some common elements) it's definitely interesting and highly addictive. I wasn't certain how all these killings in the arena would be illustrated for a young adult audience but it's done in a way that's least offensive and least violent to most any reader, which I would have to say is pretty hard to do.

The games start with 24 teens and there can only be one winner. I was definitely hoping to get to know something about all of the competitors but sadly that wasn't the case. This is definitely wishful thinking but a chart of some sort with the competitors names, districts, score etc would have been so so so cool to see in perhaps the back of the book. But no, for the most part we only get to learn about a handful of the competitors and not very much about several of them. It's definitely Katniss's story.

Sometimes action and waiting for action bores me a little but this book did no such thing. It held my interest the whole time and I just couldn't wait to find out what happened. Truthfully the ending of the games was what I expected, but really what else could you expect right? But maybe that's just me. Overall a fantastic book and I'm excited to see where the sequel, Catching Fire picks up!

Genre: Young Adult
4.5/5 Stars
Purchased by myself

Lookalikes 61

Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner

Academy X by Andrew Trees

I love how the title is worked into the first but how the image is more of a wide shot in the second, so this is sort of a tie for me.

Which is your favorite?

Demon Princess: Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowen

Amazon.com: As if trying to fit in at a new school isn't stressful enough, sixteen-year-old Nikki Donovan just found out that her long-lost father is, in fact, the demon king of the Shadowlands—the world that separates and protects us from the Underworld. When she is brought there by the mysterious—and surprisingly cute—messenger Michael, she learns that her father is dying, and he wants her to assume the throne. To complicate matters, a war is brewing between the Shadowlands and the Underworld, her half-demon qualities are manifesting, and her growing feelings for Michael are completely forbidden. Ruling a kingdom, navigating a secret crush, and still making it home by curfew—what's a teenage demon princess to do?

For the longest time I was rather unsure about books with supernatural elements, I've only dipped my toes in from time to time. But I'm pretty sure I'm becoming a real fan finally. I think Demon Princess along with a few other books have convinced me it might be time to drop that fear of mine. Seriously, I never thought I would love reading about demons so much!

If I'm being honest, I kind of feared that Nikki might come off as a ditz and sort of annoy me, but she was nothing like that! She was a really sweet, caring, and a funny character, and oh she makes a kick ass Darkling (half demon)! I adored her and am so happy that this is the beginning of the series. I can't wait to hear more from Nikki. And speaking of characters, did I ever love Michael the messenger sent from the Shadowlands to bring Nikki to her father, the Demon King. He was so so so so so sweet, I loved this boy! I wished I could reach into the book and give him a hug, even though he doesn't want to be touched! I also really liked Nikki's parents, her mother the romance novel writer, who's been married 4 times trying to find the love that was lost when Nikki's father vanished and Nikki's father the Demon King, who would expect a Demon King to be so sweet, well he is, really!

I sort of figured out all the twists and turns just a little before Nikki and it was a lot of fun seeing it all play out and now I'm having fun thinking of all the things that could happen in the next book in beyond. Thankfully our wait isn't very long, it looks like Book 2: Reign Check is coming on in Spring of 2010!

Demon Princess: Reign or Shine is released September 29th 2009.
Genre: Young Adult
4.5/5 Stars
ARC provided by Amazon Vine

GIVEAWAY: Undiscovered Gyrl

Now that you've read my review of Undiscovered Gyrl, I'd love to give you the chance to win your very own ARC copy of the book!

If you need a reminder here's the blurb:

Amazon.com:

Only on the internet can you have so many friends and be so lonely.

Beautiful, wild, funny, and lost, Katie Kampenfelt is taking a year off before college to find her passion. Ambitious in her own way, Katie intends to do more than just smoke weed with her boyfriend, Rory, and work at the bookstore. She plans to seduce Dan, a thirty-two-year-old film professor.

Katie chronicles her adventures in an anonymous blog, telling strangers her innermost desires, shames, and thrills. But when Dan stops taking her calls, when her alcoholic father suffers a terrible fall, and when she finds herself drawn into a dangerous new relationship, Katie's fearless narrative begins to crack, and dark pieces of her past emerge.

Sexually frank, often heartbreaking, and bursting with devilish humor, Undiscovered Gyrl is an extraordinarily accomplished novel of identity, voyeurism, and deceit.

Onto the rules!

To win a copy of ARC Undiscovered Gyrl leave a comment sharing a book you've read that begs to be discussed and why (without any spoilers!)

For 1 additional entry post (sidebar or twitter is fine) about this giveaway and leave a separate comment telling me you have done so.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S.

Please leave a way for me to contact you if you are the winner!

The giveaway will end August 19th at 11:59 pm Central Time.

The next stop on the Undiscovered Gyrl tour is a Q&A with the author at Ravenous Reader on Thursday, 8/6!

"Waiting On" Wednesday! 42

The Heart Is Not a Size by Beth Kephart

From The Publisher:

Georgia knows what it means to keep secrets. She knows how to ignore things. She knows that some things are better left unsaid.... Or are they? When Georgia and her best friend, Riley, travel along with nine other suburban Pennsylvania kids to Anapra, a squatters’ village in the heat-flattened border city of Juarez, Mexico, secrets seem to percolate and threaten both a friendship and a life. Certainties unravel. Reality changes. And Georgia is left to figure out who she is outside the world she’s always known.

Released March 30th 2010

Honestly all of Beth's books sound interesting and this one is no exception. The idea of secrets and ignoring things sounds really interesting to me! It will also be interesting to see suburban kids in a squatters' village, to see how they handle and respond to it.

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

BLOG TOUR: Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett

Amazon.com: Only on the internet can you have so many friends and be so lonely. Beautiful, wild, funny, and lost, Katie Kampenfelt is taking a year off before college to find her passion. Ambitious in her own way, Katie intends to do more than just smoke weed with her boyfriend, Rory, and work at the bookstore. She plans to seduce Dan, a thirty-two-year-old film professor. Katie chronicles her adventures in an anonymous blog, telling strangers her innermost desires, shames, and thrills. But when Dan stops taking her calls, when her alcoholic father suffers a terrible fall, and when she finds herself drawn into a dangerous new relationship, Katie's fearless narrative begins to crack, and dark pieces of her past emerge. Sexually frank, often heartbreaking, and bursting with devilish humor, Undiscovered Gyrl is an extraordinarily accomplished novel of identity, voyeurism, and deceit.

I found Undiscovered Gyrl to be a very original and strange book in the best way possible. It's one that demands discussion and would be perfect for book clubs. Seriously, if you've read it I really want to talk to you about it, email me!

I was initially attracted to the format of the book which is written to blog posts. I find this style of writing to be very engaging no matter what but the character and author of the blog Katie I found to be really interesting. I really liked her voice, she was really upfront and unapologetic with sharing the details of her life as far as we could tell. I wouldn't say she's easy to like but somehow I liked her, I probably wouldn't be friends with her but she was entertaining!

I had heard there was something big to the ending of the book so I admittedly sped through to find out what the big deal was. And while it wasn't the kind of big deal ending I had imagined it really got me thinking. I've talked to several people about it and we all see it a little differently which I find utterly fascinating. I really wonder what the author's intent with the ending was. I'm still thinking about it a week later!

And in case you hadn't realized the author is a man. I think he pulled off writing in a teenage girl's voice very well. Overall a really interesting book that begs to be discussed.

Undiscovered Gyrl will be released August 11th
Genre: Fiction
4/5 Stars

The next stop on the Undiscovered Gyrl tour is a Q&A with the author at Ravenous Reader on Thursday, 8/6!

Hardcover vs. Paperback 40

Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Hardcover

Paperback

Amazon.com:

High atop Hathorne Hill, near Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. Locals have long believed the place to be haunted. They tell stories about the unmarked graves in the back, of the cold spots felt throughout the underground tunnels, and of the treasures found inside: patients' personal items like journals, hair combs, and bars of soap, or even their old medical records, left behind by the state for trespassers to view.

On the eve of the hospital's demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their adventures. For Derik, it's an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents' diner. For the others, it's a chance to be on TV, or a night with no parents. But what starts as a playful dare quickly escalates into a frenzy of nightmarish action. Behind the crumbling walls, down every dark passageway, and in each deserted room, they will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and the spirits who still might.

I'm not really sure about either of these. At first glance I like the paperback more because it's refined. I'm not sure if either really fit the description for me. The hardcover makes me think rehab and the paperback, teen spies. I'm not sure if either is really as spooky as the description sounds.

Hardcover or Paperback?

BLOG TOUR: Everything Sucks by Hannah Friedman

TLC Book Tours:

Everything Sucks is a hilarious, hip, tongue-in-cheek teen memoir about the journey to cooldom from a young, irreverent, newly discovered writer.

“By my senior year [in high school] I am the chair of the student body and disciplinary committee, coordinator of 3 community service programs, I have a 4.0 GPA, a millionaire boyfriend with a BMW, and finally, for the first time in my entire life, I am considered ‘cool.’ But when an article of mine about the college admissions process is published in Newsweek, everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve is pulled out from under me…and I resolve once and for all to stop allowing other people to define me.”

Welcome inside the head of 21-year-old Hannah Friedman–a fresh new author whose biting wit and captivating writing style is a cross between bestselling YA author Anne Brashares (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and the hysterically honest Amy Sedaris (I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence). Everything Sucks details the teenage years in all of their cringe-worthy absurdity–from getting home schooled in a tour bus with hippie musicians to attending one of New York’s most prestigious private schools on full scholarship to developing a drug addiction and eating disorder to nearly getting kicked out of Yale University before she even gets to attend. In the end, it’s Friedman’s spirit that keeps her afloat.

I really liked Hannah's voice. She comes off as very relatable. Just a girl trying to get through childhood and her teen years without being picked on and having some friends to hang out with. Instantly when Hannah starts telling her tale you know she doesn't come from your average family, a mother that trained monkeys for a living and one just so happens to be part of her family, for longer than Hannah has been part of it! And a musician father who takes them on tour with him. She also has a little brother that we don't learn I whole ton about in the book but he's there in the background.

Things really get rolling when Hannah is accepted to a private school for high school. It's a boarding school but it's still local for her so for the most part she commutes. Once Hannah really has the chance she easily makes friends in a variety of groups (the train kids, the preppy girls, rich hippies). At one point her dad starts a band at her school which is rather embarrassing for Hannah but proves to be another way for her to make some friends. Eventually Hannah is introduced to a darker side of adolescence through drugs and the world of eating disorders. It makes for a real and honest look at what teens can face but through it all Hannah remains relatable.

So while her story can be serious at points it's also can be really funny. Hannah's memoir almost reads like fiction at some points, she's so candid and funny it's crazy to believe this is her life and not a work of fiction. She has a way with words and situations you can't help but love her and hope that wherever her life takes her she is successful. I'd say she's pretty unforgettable.

Hannah covers a lot of ground in her memoir and in her life at such a young age. I really hope she continues to write and share her experiences. I'd also love to see her try her hand at fiction!

Everything Sucks is released today!
Genre: Young Adult Memoir
4/5 Stars

Check out Hannah's Twitter, her website, and the web series she took part in Flying Solo.

Check out the book trailer too, I've already watched it a few times, it's really well done!

GIVEAWAY: Signed Copy of Dull Boy!

So I bought this at the Teen Author Carnival all the way back in May when I was in New York City for BEA! And it's a real goodie too because I had Sarah Cross sign it for the lucky winner!

In this post you can see her signing it and here's my review and interview with her!

If you need a reminder here's the blurb:

From Amazon.com:

What do you do if you can deadlift a car, and you spend your nights flying to get away from it all? If you’re fifteen-year-old Avery Pirzwick, you keep that information to yourself. When you’re a former jock turned freak, you can’t afford to let the secret slip. But then Avery makes some friends who are as extraordinary as he is. He realizes they’re more than just freaks—together, maybe they have a chance to be heroes. First, though, they have to decide whether to trust the mysterious Cherchette, a powerful would be mentor whose remarkable generosity may come at a terrible price.

Onto the rules!

To win a signed hardcover copy of Dull Boy leave a comment sharing a super power you never would wish to have!

For 1 additional entry blog (sidebar and twitter are fine) about this giveaway and leave a separate comment telling me you have done so.

The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S.

Please leave a way for me to contact you if you are the winner!

The giveaway will end August 16th at 11:59 pm Central Time.

500 Days of Summer

Rotten Tomatoes:

This is a story of boy meets girl, begins the wry, probing narrator of 500 Days of Summer, and with that the film takes off at breakneck speed into a funny, true-to-life and unique dissection of the unruly and unpredictable year-and-a-half of one young man's no-holds-barred love affair.

Tom, the boy, still believes, even in this cynical modern world, in the notion of a transforming, cosmically destined, lightning-strikes-once kind of love. Summer, the girl, doesn't. Not at all. But that doesn't stop Tom from going after her, again and again, like a modern Don Quixote, with all his might and courage. Suddenly, Tom is in love not just with a lovely, witty, intelligent woman not that he minds any of that -- but with the very idea of Summer, the very idea of a love that still has the power to shock the heart and stop the world. --© Fox Searchlight

This is the best movie I've seen in a long time, hands down. I was screaming with laughter several times in the theater and that hasn't happened in a long time! Oh my god was this movie GOOD! It was hilarious, clever, quirky, silly, cute, adorable, sad, a little depressing, this movie was everything!

Zooey Deschanel can do no wrong in my book and Joseph Gordon-Levitt was surprisingly adorable and lovable in this movie! It was like these roles were made for them. And all the secondary characters were great as well, they didn't take away the spotlight from the two stars but really enhanced the movie.

I loved the device used in the movie of 500 Days of Summer. How it jumps to the end of the 500 Days and to the beginning and to the middle, with number markers signifying the day. It was a very clever way to frame the story. It made the movie feel about 20 minutes long! It kept my attention so so so well. There were so many other great devices used in the movie as well, including animation, time lapse, a dance number, you name it and it was in this movie and it seems so natural and not forced at all.

If this movie is playing near you go see it! And as a side note, the soundtrack is wonderful too!

Check out the trailer:

500 Days of Summer is now in theatres
4.5/5 Stars
Saw in theater, paid a lot of $$

This Week In Books Or Holy Mailbox!

Monday:

The Bachelorette Party by Karen McCullah Lutz

Got this for my I Dare You Challenge created by Galleysmith!

Tuesday:

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci
The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keys
Upside Down Inside Out by Monica McInerney
Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman

From the library book store!

Wednesday:

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland
Candor by Pam Bachorz
Meridian by Amber Kizer
The Monster Variations by Daniel Kraus

I gasped when I saw all of these for review. Several of them were definitely a surprise!

Thursday:

The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie

For review.

Friday:

Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson

For review from Amazon Vine.

Saturday:

Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle

For review.

This Year In Movies: July

In July I did pretty good, not like I did before I had a job but better than most of the rest of this year and I think it's due to the fact I'm working on some I Dare You Challenges! I watched 12 movies and 1 tv show on dvd.

The IT Crowd Season 2- It was as hilarious as the first season, I already bought it and am looking forward to Season 3!

Two Lovers- Definitely interesting. I was hoping for a somewhat shocking ending, not sure why, and sadly it didn't have one. I liked it though!

The Reader- Yeah this was as awesome as people say it is. I loved it and I'm pretty sure I teared up a few times! Loved it!

Brokedown Palace- This was pretty much exactly what I thought it would be like. Interesting but I wanted more from the ending and actually hounded a few people on twitter for some insight! I watched this for Rebecca's I Dare You Challenge!

The Ramen Girl- I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. This isn't the kind of movie you'd expect to see Brittany Murphy in and I liked that. The ending was definitely something you would expect to see her in though. I want to go eat some Ramen now! I watched this for Rebecca's I Dare You Challenge!

Hera Pheri- This was uh ok. I guess it was supposed to be a comedy but it was kind of sad at some points and I like more of the female-centric bollywood plotlines. So it's one of my least favorite of this genre. :/ Sorry Mitali! I watched this for Mitali's I Dare You Challenge!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince- I can't believe how much I had forgotten from the book! I was still questioning who the Half Blood Prince was til the end! Ahh! It was definitely good and I loved seeing more of the romantic aspects of the books come to life!

Jaane Tu Ya Janne Na- Ok this is much more my type of Bollywood. I've seen more of the classically set stories so I'm excited to be watching these modern day stories. This was a great one and I definitely squeeeed a few times!

Before Sunrise- Reminded me a lot of Waking Life (same director) but less awesome stuff to look at during the discussions. I liked it fine but I liked it a bit more after seeing Before Sunset. I watched this for Tiff's I Dare You Challenge!

Before Sunset- I liked this one a bit more than the first movie, I think because the characters had already met and had that foundation. I watched this for Tiff's I Dare You Challenge!

500 Days of Summer- If you haven't heard me rave about this enough check back Sunday for a review! And I'm totally listening to the soundtrack while typing this!

The Women (original)- I liked this more than I thought I would! I liked having seen the remake already it kind of made it easier to follow for me and more exciting to see what was different and what was still the same when they remade it. I watched this for Sharon's I Dare You Challenge!

Jab We Met- Another good Bollywood from Mitali! This was a lot of fun too and I'm glad there were a few more dance numbers even though it was a contemporary Bollywood! Cute! I watched this for Mitali's I Dare You Challenge!