The Hunger Games: Jennifer Lawrence

Tweet

So I wanted Hailee Steinfeld to play Katniss; I thought her look and acting and everything about it was perfect. But I watched "Winter's Bone", free on Netflix!, last night and it was freaking amazing. I know Jennifer Lawrence doesn't look like the picture of Katniss I had in my head  but her acting was superb. And I could see her playing the rough Katniss. The way she hunted for her father and got messed up because of it reminded me of The Hunger Games.

Book Blogger Hop: July 8-11

Tweet

This week, we don't have a question but our task is to promote a giveaway. But it cannot be our OWN! Lucky for me, I sadly don't have any giveaways going on now anyway.

I'd like to promote the July-New Release Giveaway over at Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh My!

There will be 2 winners this month who can win a book that's released this month. It's international and the winner will be announced August 1st. Go enter! Thanks for visiting my blog!

P.S. You may notice I have not been doing very well on my posting...it will get better!

Song Stuck In My Head Saturday (18)

Tweet

Song Stuck In My Head Saturday (17)

Tweet

Love this song! It's amazing!!!!

Question Thursday (6)

Tweet

The question that was on my mind this week: How do you keep up with your blog and reading/reviewing when your personal life interferes with it??

Obviously, I have been terrible at keeping up with my posts, and a lot of it is because I haven't been reading like I should. You can;t run a book blog without reading books, so that's where my problem comes in. So much personal stuff, good and bad, goes on and reading can be a last priority, I'm not gonna make any promises because I don't wanna disappoint if I don't keep the promise, but stay tuned to see if this busy teenager becomes a great book blogger. Like the one I used to be...Thanks for your input too!

Song Stuck In My Head Saturday (16)

Tweet

This video's inspiration comes from my day today! I went to Zumiez Couch Tour, stop #9, at the Montgomery Mall!! Which is like less than 10 minutes from my house. Yay!!

Book Blogger Hop: June 16-20

Tweet

This week's question: How many books are currently in your To-Be-Read (TBR) Pile?

Wow. According to Goodreads, I have 2440 books on my TBR list...and I'm postive I have a lot more, ones that just aren't on Goodreads. I think I should go and get started on this list......

Teaser Tuesday

Tweet

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. All you do is:
1) Grab your current read and open to a random page.

2) Select a few sentences from anywhere on the page- try not to include any SPOILERS!

3) Make to tell the name of book and the author so others can add the book to our TBR pile!

“You really need to go out with me.” Page 323

Top 5 Sundays (10)

Tweet

I am so happy to get back to doing these! This Sunday's theme: Favorite Book Series Finale

This is a very interesting and hard one! Not only because I haven't finished a ton of series but also because some series haven't ended and the last book of a series isn't always the best...But here goes:

So I haven't read it yet, but come on! It's gonna be awesome and emotional!

Breaking Dawn Trailer!!! Must-See!

Tweet

Heabboard scene....I cannot wait. All that needs to be said!

Song Stuck In My Head Saturday (15)

Tweet

Love this song. Love this video. Love her style. Love Avril Lavigne. End of story.

Interview with R.A. Nelson(aka author of some of my favorite-all-time books)

Tweet

R.A. Nelson, author of some of my favorite books of all-time, is totally awesome and agreed to do an interview with me. Just plain awesome. Author interviews is my favorite part of running a book blog. You get an excuse to email your favorite authors without feeling like a creeper :)

So, pretend we're in school and have to do one of those annoying ice-breakers, what are a few things you'd tell us to get to know you better?

Hmmm....let's see.....even when I was in school I loved a lot of "uncool" stuff like archeology, astronomy, history. But I was also a good athlete, so I would have been kind of hard to pin down. I didn't fit in with the misfits or the jocks or anybody else. I was just "me," basically! I am very interested in life, passionately curious about all sorts of stuff. I was the kid who was very quiet, just listening, but I was also the kid on the campout who couldn't stop yammering about everything under the sun (especially girls) until I was the last one awake.


Do you have a comfort book? You know, one of those books you pick up when you need to feel better? If not, what do you do for a pick me up?

Hmmm...maybe the Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson? I love her mind, how she could be so vibrant and brilliant in spite of living such a contained, "small" life. There was also a time when I would have said Watership Down, the book about rabbits having this crazy adventure. Now I'm not so sure. I really like The White Darkness, by Geraldine McCaughrean, mainly because it's set in Antarctica, and there is a huge mystery about the possibility of an alien civilization living deep within a place called Symmes Hole. Anything that carries me away from where I am, that feels so timeless and interesting and mysterious is a joy for me. Especially if there is a romance involved.


What one book would you recommend to every reader?

I would say that book of Emily Dickinson poems. Most of her poems are really short, but she packs so much brilliance into her lines that you can read them over and over and still manage to get something new out of them every time. They are also the perfect example of how a writer can do so much in so little space.


Sorry for this cliche, but how did you come up with the idea for Breathe My Name? While reading, I couldn't help think of Andrea Yates; did that influence it at all?

I was really horrified by that case. When I was searching for an idea which ultimately became Breathe My Name, I got closer and closer to this thought of something horrific happening to a girl who is now 17 or 18, but had to live with this horrific thing from her past. Then I suddenly realized where this was headed, that her birth mom had killed her sisters and tried to kill her, and I was shocked and didn't know if I should write something so "dark." It was a difficult book to write, but I found that it actually could be quite an uplifting story, and that the heart of it was a great love story, not the story of what happened when Frances was seven years old. I think maybe I was so disturbed by cases like the Andrea Yates case, that this was kind of my way of subconsciously processing that horror? So I could somehow deal with it? Because when I researched what mothers went through who had this illness/condition, I ultimately felt so sorry for them -- they truly are the victims of an unspeakable illness.


I just wanted to tell you that Teach Me is oddly one of my favorite romance books I've ever read--and I've read a lot. This is not a question but I just wanted to praise you for a little bit :-)
As an aspiring author and reader, I've always wondered if authors are inspired by their favorite authors?

Thanks so much for saying that! An author always loves it when you find out you've touched someone in that way -- like two minds somehow are in synch over the course of the book and you are understood (in both directions, reader and writer). And yes, I'm sure writers are always inspired by their favorites authors. There are so many writers I love, like Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House), Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner and many others), Anne Sexton (incredible tragic poet), Hemingway (A Farewell to Arms is one of my favorite books and he teaches so much about writing simply, yet beautifully). A more recent favorite is Mark Z. Danielewski (House of Leaves). And I loved City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. I get inspiration from all sorts of sources, but from all sorts of sources beyond writing as well. You have to be in love with life -- or at least deeply fascinated by it.


How long did it take you to start writing your novels after you got the idea formed in your head?

It all depends, really, on the scope of the book and how it is written, as well as what else is going on in your life. Teach Me took about 7 months from the time I first wrote the words "Welcome to my head" through the final revision. While Breathe My Name took nearly two years. The structure of Breathe was really challenging to work out. And those first two books I wrote without an outline. I'm still not sure if writing with an outline is better or not. You can definitely write faster with an outline, as I did with Days of Little Texas and my latest book, Throat. both of those books took less than a year to write. But sometimes it takes a good while just to come up with the idea that really sparks your imagination, something you can sustain over all those months and weeks of writing.


What was your reaction the first time you saw your book in a store?

It felt kind of surreal, actually. I didn't jump for joy or gasp or burst into tears. I just stood there looking at it, not quite believing my book was right there, a physical object, squeezed in with all those other published books. I had gotten a box of them beforehand, of course, so it wasn't so much the seeing of it as a reality as it was seeing it in what feels like a sacred place to me, which is any place that sells or stocks books. It's almost more wrenching to see your book on a library shelf, which is kind of the holy of holiest places for a writer, as most of us grew up haunting the library shelves in our local towns.


Do you have any future plans for anymore YA or adult novels?

Yes! I don't want to spill too many secrets just yet, but yes, I’m working on something completely new and crazily different. A book like nothing anyone has ever seen before. So far out of left field, readers just might read the whole book open-mouthed and round-eyed. (Ha, a guy can dream, right?). The working title is BEYOND WHERE I CAN SEE.


Just a few quickies:
Favorite Movie:
This would be so hard to pick! I love movies so much. Here are some of my all-time favorites:
Shakespeare in Love
The Mothman Prophecies
Office Space
Cool Hand Luke
The Secret in Their Eyes
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Notting Hill

Favorite Book:
Again, practically impossible to pick one. Here are a few.
The White Darkness
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The City of Ember
How I Live Now
The Haunting of Hill House
Huckleberry Finn
A Wrinkle in Time
The Ice People
1984
A Farewell to Arms
Dr. Suess

Favorite Band:
Hmmm....tough! I love a lot of "old" New Wave groups from the 80s like the Psychedelic Furs, Tears For Fears, Wall of Voodoo, etc.

Favorite TV Show:
Gosh, I don't really have one anymore. I don't watch much TV, just not enough time in the day. I do watch old movies and some sports. I tried watching Lost for a while and really enjoyed it, but couldn't keep up after I started having to miss episodes. I loved the mystery of it.

A memory that never fails to make you laugh: There are so many! One of my favorites is the time we built an "airplane" out of plywood in my dad's garage, then shoved it out of the sweetgum tree in the backyard with my brother aboard. Of course it didn't fly, but instead demolished the dog house! We had a lot of adventures like that.

Thank you so much for the interview. We, oddly??, have a lot in common. LOL I love it when readers can relate to their favorite authors!

Who's Been A Very Bad Blogger Lately? Me Me!

Tweet

UGH! I HAVE BEEN THE WORST BLOGGER IN HISTORY THESE PAST 2 MONTHS!! I'm sure you don't want to know all the details-which I probably would love to talk about myself-so I wll just say school and lotsssss of family shtuff was going on. Anyway, I am going to get back on track and make my book blog a priority because it truly makes me jappy; plus, I have internet 24/7 now! So I'm back to being good blogger! Thanks for staying with me and don't give up on me just yet!!!

Book Blogger Hop: May 27-30 (11)

Tweet

This week's question comes from Britta of I Like These Books: What book-to-movie adaption have you most liked? Which have you disliked?

Ooh!! Great question! I would have to say the Harry Potter movies are the best adaption of a book I've seen so far. With that being said, I haven't watched that many movies adapted from books either. And ones I've disliked would have to be Twilight and The Last Song. Twilight because the whole movie was okay but it did not live up to the book at all and I was so in love with the series I had my hopes high-maybe to high?? And The Last Song because I HATE Miley Cyrus. Sorry to her fans, but her voice is annoying and she ruined the movie for me. Everyone else though was great.

Sidenote: I CANNOT wair for The Hunger Games movie!!!

Shades of Atlantis Blog Tour + Review

Tweet

I'm so excited for my stop on the Shades of Atlantis Book Blog Tour!! This tour is hosted by A Tale Of Many Reviews and there are just a few simple rules to win: Just comment on every blog by the last day of the tour. This contest is open internationally and all the WILL be checked, so be faithful! And you don't have to be a follower either! Easy a pie! Or cheesecake :)

Summary:

Since the death of their parents, Triona Pryor and her brother, Ben, have lived with their aunt and uncle in Camden, Maine. Now in her senior year of high school, Triona loves her family and friends, but she has always felt that she didn’t quite fit in…in Camden, or anywhere else.

Enter Caleb Wallace, the devilishly handsome man who has recently moved to Triona’s small town. While their attraction to each other is instantaneous, it also proves to be dangerous…and deadly.

When tragedy strikes, Triona flees to London for solace and to start her life anew. It’s there she discovers from an unlikely source that her family has been keeping secrets from her – secrets about not only her birthright, but her ultimate destiny as well. Armed with this knowledge, Triona finds herself thrown into a whole new world and into a battle to save the lives of everyone she loves.

Review:

Rating: 4.5/5

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Ending: 4.5/5

I was first interested in this book a little while ago. I was on the publishing company's site and was immediately drawn to the cover. Then I read the summary of the book and was even more intrigued. I love a story with legends and, being part Irish, Celtic legends especially. I've seen a lot of reviews mentioning the similarties between this and a certain other YA book that has turned into a huge franchise, and even though I have to concede, the author definetely made it her own and it didn't feel like the same book or a copycat of any sort.

The romace was great. I thought, because I'm a very picky person, that I'd dislike the fact that it was kinda fast and the whole "love at first site" thing, but I loved it and that was because it was so well-written it wasn't at all akward. I fell in love with all the characters and felt invested in the story. I also would like to say that one thing I really loved was that even though you knew that something was up, it was very subtle--enough so that it wasn't in your face annoying and you couldn't believe Triona didn't get it.

April 1: Mundie Moms

April 2: Once Upon A Twilight

April 3: Good Choice Reading

April 4: A Frenzy Of Noise

April 5: Girls Just Reading

April 6: Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my

April 7: CSI:Librarian

April 8: YA Bound

April 9: YA Booklover Blog

April 10: The Reading Fever

April 11: Home Between Pages

April 12: Moi!!!

April 13: Bookworm Lisa

April 14: Moonlight Book Reviews

April 15: One Book Shy of a Full Shelf

April 16: Diva's Bookcase

April 17: Ticket To Anywhere

April 18: The Crazy Bookworm

April 19: A Trail of Books Left Behind and A Tale of Many Reviews (Final stop)

Here's what you can win by visiting:

Giveaway 1) Signed copy of Shades of Atlantis, a lined spiral notebook with SoA cover, bookmark, keyring, SoA 2011 calendar, and SoA mug.

Giveaway 2) Signed copy of Shades of Atlantis, a lined spiral notebook with SoA cover, bookmark, keyring, SoA 2011 calendar

Giveaway 3) Ebook copy of SoA

Giveaway 4) Ebook copy of SoA

Good luck!!!!!!

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher Review

Tweet

From Goodreads: You only hurt the ones you love.

Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. Sage has been homeschooled for a number of years and her parents have forbidden her to date anyone, but she won’t tell Logan why. One day, Logan acts on his growing feelings for Sage. Moments later, he wishes he never had. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she’s actually a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and disowns her. But once Logan comes to terms with what happened, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to understand her situation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be.

Rating: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Ending: 4/5

Wow. This book was so intriguing and it did not disappoint! While I don't think it's an original plot, it is very new to the YA genre, in my experience. I was drawn in to the plot because I wanted to know how a guy would handle the situation, if it were to happen to him. And while I didn't like all of the things Logan did and thought, it was truly realistic and I think a greatly written novel.

I really loved Sage and thought, after reading the back cover, that Sage was just a transgender woman who didn't really care about how she affected others because obviously, in my mind, she wouldn't have done this to Logan if she cared about him. But I was wrong in my assumptions and understood Sage and her life.

Some problems I had with this book were the setting. Maybe it's just because I'm a suburban girl and cannot imagine a place like theirs really exists, but I didn't buy the whole small town boy who wants to experience life thing. Also, Logan was really freaking annoying sometimes. But you'll have to come back Wednesday so I can share some spoliers and discuss the book if you've read it already!!!

Song Stuck In My Head Saturday (14)

Tweet

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly Review

Tweet

From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old, music- and sound design-obsessed Drea doesn’t have friends. She has, as she’s often reminded, issues. Drea’s mom and a rotating band of psychiatrists have settled on “a touch of Asperger’s.”

Having just moved to the latest in a string of new towns, Drea meets two other outsiders. And Naomi and Justin seem to actually like Drea. The three of them form a band after an impromptu, Portishead-comparison-worthy jam after school. Justin swiftly challenges not only Drea’s preference for Poe over Black Lab but also her perceived inability to connect with another person. Justin, against all odds, may even like like Drea.

It’s obvious that Drea can’t hide behind her sound equipment anymore. But just when she’s found not one but two true friends, can she stand to lose one of them?

Rating: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Ending: 4.5/5

Asperger's is one of the many things in the world I think I know everything about, but am always proven wrong. First why I picked up this book, I was interested about Drea and also, as a romantic, how her love story would work. Again, judging a book by it's description was a bad idea. I thought the book would be the first of many that wrote of topics that many teens aren't familiar of, but that it wouldn't be a wonderfully written YA book with substance. I knew from the first few pages that my impression was wrong. It's actually interesting how my impression of the book can be compared to people's impression of Drea once they find out why she's a little different than everybody else.

Most of the characters in this book were realistic and I could see how the dynamics could play out in my life, in my school. As I said, most of the characters were realistic, but the events and how everything happened seemed unrealistic in my mind, but Tara Kelly did a great job so that it didn't seem odd or out of place and in a way you still loved the characters.

Discussion Wednesday (3)

Tweet

This meme, created by moi, is for the purpose of discussing the books I've reviewed in the past week because I can't be spoilery in my reviews if one of my followers hasn't read it yet. So here's my solution!! You can leave comments and subscribe to them if you want to join in on the discussion :-)

This week, the only book I reviewed was The Hunted of 2060 by Ami Blackwelder--I blame it on my teachers for prepping us for the PSSAs. God, I hate those...

April and Robert: I loved the idea of them as a couple but their relationship never transferred to through the pages. First, and this is the biggie, at the end when April finds out she's pregnant I had no thought of who could be the father because she and Robert never had sex, so who else could it be? But apparently, they did have sex because Robert thought he was the father. WHEN DOES IT SAY ANYWHERE IN THE BOOK THAT THEY DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN KISSING??? And they barely kiss at all! I just thought their relationship wasn't correctly portrayed. It's not just about the words the character speaks and how they say they feel, but what they do. And April shows barely any affection towards Robert. Another reason I favored Arken.

Plot: Very original but it was not written very well. At some times, it was nicelt paced, but at others it was really fast. It was hard to believe all of it was going on and hard to keep up with it. I also liked the idea of everything in the plot twists but it just wasn't presented well. :-(

The Hunted of 2060 by Ami Blackwelder Review

Tweet

From Goodreads: Set in Alaska 2060. 3 Lovers. 2 Species. 1 Way to Survive.

Summary: Set in Alaska in 2060, when April enters her Sophomore year at University, she thought Robert might be the love of her life, but as she discovers, she is hiding something inside her, something the rest of the world believes to have died out. She struggles with who she was and who she is becoming as she learns of a family she never knew existed and of enemies she will have to outrun, outfight or outwit to survive. As April embraces her new identity, will she have to leave the life she loves behind?

With underlining themes of how prejudice breaks human connections and animal/wildlife conservation, this novel which has received rave reviews will leave the reader flipping through the pages of April’s story.

Rating: 3.5/5

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Ending: 4/5

Amy Blackwelder, what a cool name, right?, did an amazing job with coming up with her characters and the concept and all the details of her story. It was very original and was set in the future. I think half the book for me was marveling at the future technology and the hybrids skin, and just trying to picture everything-- I think this book would do very well as a movie! April was a great character and her life was very interesting. I was hooked from the first few pages wanting to know more.

With all this said I did have a few problems with it...April's personality doesn't always seem to mesh. Some of her traits are contradictory-like she's shy but all of a sudden is alright with taking the lead and kissing Robert. As I'm writing this it seems like this really wasn't the problem. I think the author just didn't give us enough information on the characters current or pasts lives. A lot of the problems I had actually were caused by this. The writing wasn't magnificent but still better than sone published author I've read. The plot was very cool but didn't seem to live up to my expectations. And the characters all had potential but weren't written well enough to really get to know them.

I did though enjoy the book despite all it's flaws and will, no doubt, read more of the series and the author.

Question Thursday (5)

Tweet

So happy I'm getting back into doing these again!! So, this week's question: Do you giveaway your own books? Do you find it hard to recieve a book for review and then give it up?

I have to admit, I'm a book whore. I hate sharing books and hate lending mine to friends because I like to keep mine looking as new as possible. So when I get a book for review I honestly want to give it away to a fellow reader, but once I really think about it and am planning it I start feeling really sad. And it's just a damn book too!! But books are just so pretty and smell great and...I love seeing them on my bookshelf <3

Katniss/Hailee

Tweet

I hope you know who this is. The future Katniss. She will be Katniss. If not, the world has gone crazy.

This is just my opinion of who I want to play Katniss, Hailee Steinfeld. There is no confirmation that she has gotten the role, but she has admitted to meeting with Gary Ross. Good sign, right??

My Most Read Authors

Tweet

I've seen some other blogs do this post and I was curious, so I looked up my most read authors on Goodreads and decided to share it with you all!!

14 books

11 books

11 books

10 books

8 books

Song Stuck In My Head Saturday (13)

Tweet

Love this song!! And my real name is Kisha(key-shuh) and that's one of my nicknames at school-besides Keyshia Cole- so I usually don't like Ke$ha but I do love this song.

So I Kinda Messed Up My Post Scheduling Yesterday

Tweet

My Discussion Wednesday was supposed to go up yesterday but it didn't :-( And I don't want to post it now because it's Thursday. It'd be a little weird to me. So I thought I'd just have a discussion.......

So I reviewed Sing Me To Sleep by Angela Morrison and loved it! It was such a great, well-written book. I wanted to talk about some review I've read of this book. Some people say the love triangle between Beth, Derek, and Scott is too convenient and that Derek is an Edward and Beth is a Bella. No way. I love Twilight, but Bella was a little bit...manipulated by Edward. But Beth is not that girl. She's strong, espically because she's survived being teased and humiliated because of her looks. I don't know how anyone can say she's a girly, teenage heroine. And Derek does seem, justa little bit toward the middle-end of the book, controlling but once you learnt he truth of his illness you see why he acted that way. I have complete support for both of them!

Scott. Oh, Scottie. I loved him also, but I did have a few problems with him. First, he supposedly loves Beth. Okay. But he doesn't tell her until she comes back and I know he was probably humilated because she turned him down like it was nothing so many times but really. I think if I wasn't biased, because I'm having teenage-boy troubles, I would've like Scott a little bit more but he was only acting that way because he was jealous. I did think highly of him though for stcking with Beth through her "Beast" phase but I don't understand why he was so upset when she started to change. Because she was unhappy? He was afraid he'd lose her? I don't know...

Lastly, the neding. So so so sad. I loved Beth and Derek together and I was so sad and upset when she ended up with Scott and said they could be together because of him....It just seemed twisted and wrong somehow.

Quick Interview with the Reigning Queen of YA Romance: Simone Elkeles!!!

Tweet

Let me just say, I LOVE Simone Elkeles. The first book I read by her was How To Ruin A Summer Vacation and I've been hooked on her ever since. Everyone of her books are romantic and real but also have their own story. Without further ado.......the interview:

So, pretend we're in school and have to do one of those annoying ice-breakers, what are a few things you'd tell us to get to know you better?
I was never that fond of those ice-breakers, but it wasn't because I was shy. "Shy" is one word that definitely does NOT describe me! I am a mom of 2 incredible kids and I love watching their hockey games! I live in the Chicago area (and have lived there for most of my life) which is why most of my novels are set in Chicago. Speaking of books, I am the author of 7 young adult novels (Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction, Leaving Paradise, Return to Paradise, and the How to Ruin Series). Two of the most exciting moments in my life were when I found out that Rules of Attraction and Return to Paradise had hit the New York Times Bestseller list!


I hate those ice-breakers too!! But mostly because I am a little shy. Are you a full-time writer or do you have another job?
I am a full-time writer, but I am also a full-time stay at home mom. This pretty much means that I am really busy all the time and feel like I am constantly behind in one thing or another.

Do you have a comfort book? You know, one of those books you pick up when you need to feel better? If not, what do you do for a pick me up?
I rarely ever get time to read anymore. When I was a teen, there was only one book I actually liked and that was Forever by Judy Blume. So, I guess you could say it's a comfort book for me. If I'm in need of a quick pick me up, I really go for a guilty and unhealthy pleasure. . . red velvet cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory!!!

I love red velvet and cheesecake, so I'll have to try that!! As an aspiring author and reader, I've always wondered if authors are inspired by their favorite authors?
Definitely! I don't get to read much, but whenever I read a book that just takes hold of my emotions and makes me think about my own life, I get inspired to write a book like that. I love it when my fans tell me that they felt like they were inside the story or that my characters inspired them to change their lives for the better. It's a surreal and amazing feeling!


As the reigning Queen of YA Romance, in my opinion, how do you come up with your stories?
You are so sweet! I don't know if I've ever been referred to as the "reigning Queen" before. I wish I knew how to answer this question because I get asked all the time! Really, I just get an idea, write "Chapter 1" and the words start flowing. It's weird, I know.

Just a few quickies:

Favorite Movie: The Cutting Edge

Favorite Book: Forever by Judy Blume

Favorite Band: The Fray

Favorite TV Show: Survivor

I saw this question on the 30 Days of Insight posts I particpated in and loved it. A memory that never fails to make you laugh: I have so many, but this one just happened today. I was listening to the radio with my teenage daughter and I said "How can you feel so fly like a cheese stick?" and my daughter said, "Mom, it's 'feel so fly like a G6', NOT 'cheese stick'!" oops!

I love that story!!!! Thanks Simone for finding the time to do this interview with me :-)
If you want to talk more about Simone's books or about other things with Simone's fans you should join The Official Fan Group !! I'm a member and it's a lot of fun, but I wish I had more time to go on these days.

Sing Me To Sleep by Angela Morrison Review

Tweet

From Goodreads: THE TRANSFORMATION
Beth has always been “The Beast”—that's what everyone at school calls her because of her awkward height, facial scars, and thick glasses. Beth's only friend is geeky, golden-haired Scott. That is, until she's selected to be her choir's soprano soloist, and receives the makeover that will change her life forever.


THE LOVE AFFAIR
When Beth's choir travels to Switzerland, she meets Derek: pale, brooding, totally dreamy. Derek's untethered passion—for music, and for Beth—leaves her breathless. Because in Derek's eyes? She's not The Beast, she's The Beauty.


THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
When Beth comes home, Scott, her best friend in the world, makes a confession that leaves her completely torn. Should she stand by sweet, steady Scott or follow the dangerous, intense new feelings she has for Derek?


THE HEARTBREAK
The closer Beth gets to Derek, the further away he seems. Then Beth discovers that Derek's been hiding a dark secret from her …one that could shatter everything.

Rating: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Ending: 4/5

Beautiful. Magical. Windsweeping. Funny. Entertaining. All these words describe this book and how it made me feel. I'm a big fan of makeover shows like Extreme Makeover and What Not To Wear, so I loved that "The Beast" was transformed and turned into a beautiful girl. I didn't feel like the book was promoting perfection, which I thought it might. Beth was just a shy girl who didn't have the confidence or need to make herself better. I'm not all about looks, but I do think they matter when a person just doesn't try and they have the potential.

There's also a component of music in this book. I'm a big music person, although I have no talent in the area besides playing clarinet, and I swear I could hear all the singing that went on this book. It was acyually really exciting to follow Beth and her group on their journey. I was so excited reading this book because I knew form the back cover what was going to happen, so I could enjoy what was going on with Beth.

But then there was the love triangle. It was very subtle and not complicated, which was refreshing considering all the deep ones in other YA non-contemporary books. I'm going to start picking up my Discussion Wednesdays again so tomorrow I'm going to be talking about the end of the book. So check back in tomorrow!!

Song Stuck In My Head Saturday (12)

Tweet

I've missed doing these posts and all my other memes so I'm going to get on track with all of them!! This week's song is a song that's been in my head forEVER and I cannot get it out. But it's one I've grown to love so I'm okay with it :-)

Cover Reveal!

Tweet

 The cover for a book I've been dying to read!!!! Jessica Rules The Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey!! I'm so excited for this book but it sadly only comes out January 9th, 2012. But I can wait :-)

Here's a little but about the book:

When Jessica Packwood found out she was a Romanian vampire princess, she had the shock of her teenage life. Turns out that was the easy part. Now, married to Prince Lucius Vladescu, she has to claim her throne and convince a vampire nation she’s fit to be their queen. But Jess can’t even order a decent meal from her castle’s Romanian staff, let alone deal with devious undead subjects who would love to see her fail.

And when Lucius is accused of murdering a vampire Elder and imprisoned without the blood he needs, Jessica finds herself alone, fighting for both their survivals.

Desperate to clear her husband’s name and win his release, Jess enlists the help of her best friend Mindy Stankowicz and Lucius’s mysterious Italian cousin, Raniero Lovatu. But both of them are keeping some dark secrets. Can Jess figure out who to trust – and how to rise to power – before she loses everything, including the vampire she loves?

Full of romance, mystery, and danger, the highly anticipated sequel to Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side shows that sometimes a princess has to earn her “happily ever after” – with a sharpened stake in hand.

Winner of the Books With Love Giveaway!!!!

Tweet

The very lucky winner of my giveaway is.............

.........................

...................

...............

.........

.....

...

.

Jennifer!!!

Congrats!! I've emailed her and am awaiting her reply. Thanks everyone for participating :-)

Books With Love Hop

Welcome to my blog and the Books With Love Hop hosted by Good Choice Reading!! I'm so excited for this giveaway because it's one of my favorite books. Just look at my Slideshow at the top of my blog!! My Valentine's Day is not going to be filled with love because teenage boys suck.....But this interview with the wonderful Beth Fantaskey and a giveaway of her book, Jessica's Guide to Dating On The Dark Side, is helping my wounded spirits!!

Interview:

So, pretend we're in school and have to do one of those annoying ice-breakers, what are a few things you'd tell us to get to know you better?

Hmm... I’ve been in a doctoral program for about eight years now, studying mass communication. I am fiercely competitive at the gym. If you run fast on your treadmill, I will run FASTER. And I have two – soon to be three – daughters, so I spend a lot of time waiting at school bus stops. That’s about it!

Did you name Lucius by his name becuase he's so luscious?? lol

Actually, I picked that name because it sounds a little bit wicked, like “Lucifer,” but actually means “light.” So along with seeming very masculine to me, it also suited a vampire who struggles with the light and dark aspects of his nature. The fact that it’s close to “luscious” didn’t strike me until I had one of his classmates nickname him “Luscious Lucius.”

In Jessica's Guide, what kind fo research, if any, did you do to write such a wonderfully romantic book?

The research part wasn’t very romantic. I mainly looked up things about Romania, Romanian food, vegan recipes, etc. Very practical stuff. One of my favorite things to research was “The Little Red Riding Hood” story that Lucius quotes near the end of the book. I was so happy to find that the original tale was very grim, which fit my story line very well!

Do you have a comfort book? You know, one of those books you pick up when you need to feel better? If not, what do you do for a pick me up?

When I feel sad, I read James Thurber’s “My Life and Hard Times.” It always makes me laugh, and gives me this wonderful sense of comfort and family. My copy, which I’ve had since high school, is completely falling apart.

What one book would you recommend to every reader?

“The Count of Monte Cristo.” I think a lot of people look at it and go, “Ancient classic... yawn!” But it’s incredibly gripping, and the hero is so dark and funny and charismatic. I love that book.

As an aspiring author and reader, I've always wondered if authors are inspired by their favorite authors?

I am more intimidated than inspired. I don’t even pretend to try to live up to my favorite authors. I just read them with awe and appreciation, then go about doing my own thing as best I can.

How long did it take you to start writing your novels after you got the idea formed in your head?

I wrote Jessica’s Guide as soon as the idea hit. I was on a long car ride from Georgia to Pennsylvania, and I started developing the story, scribbling notes on all of these napkins my husband keeps stuffed in his car’s glove compartment. When I got home, I started writing the next morning.

What was your reaction the first time you saw your book in a store?

It was strange. I was so excited, and yet almost intimidated. It’s hard to explain. You’re standing there thinking, “Gee, this is real. I hope some people like it.”

Do you have any future plans for anymore YA or adult novels?

I’m working on one more YA paranormal romance right now. After that, I have no idea what I’ll be doing... aside from waiting at bus stops!

Just a few quickies:
Favorite Movie: A tie between Harold and Maude and The Princess Bride

Favorite Book: The Count of Monte Cristo

Favorite Band: Ooh, toughie! Probably Coldplay

Favorite TV Show: America’s Next Top Model is my guiltiest pleasure

I saw this question on the 30 Days of Insight posts I participated in and loved it. A memory that never fails to make you laugh: Oh, gosh, there are so many! I’m going to randomly say the time my sister opened a jar of chocolate malt powder and it inexplicably exploded all over her face. There was a big “poof,” and a cloud of chocolate, and when she turned around, she was covered in fine, brown dust. Stuff is always funniest when it happens to your sibling, right?

All you have to do is:

1. comment on the interview below
2. comment on any of my posts before today (+1)
3. be a follower (+1)
4. Spread the word in any other way

In My Mailbox (7)

Tweet

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. I'm so excited about what I got this week!!!!!



It's crooked, I know.



Recieved for Review/Giveaway:
Try Me by Parker Blue
The Unbidden Magic Series by Marilee Brothers

Won:
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
A Season of Eden by Jennifer Laurens

A very exciting week!!!

Try Me by Parker Blue Review

Tweet

From Goodreads: This part-demon teen vampire fighter and her faithful terrier hellhound are once again patrolling the dark city streets of San Antonio, Texas. Val's hunky human partner, Detective Dan Sullivan, is giving her the cold shoulder since she beheaded his vampire ex-fiancée. Vamp leader Alejandro is struggling to keep the peace between vamps, demons and humans. The mucho powerful Encyclopedia Magicka has been stolen, someone in the Demon Underground is poisoning vamps, and Val's inner lust demon, Lola, is getting very restless since Val's now partnered with sexy Shade, the shadow demon with the blond good looks of an angel.



The second book in Parker Blue's Demon Underground urban fantasy series plunges readers deeper into a heady world of passion, friendship, intrigue and mystery.
Parker Blue lives in the wilds of Colorado with her own faithful hellhound, and she's hard at work on the next Val Shapiro book in the Demon Underground series.


Rating: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

I'm so thankful to the publishers for sending me a copy of this book because I absolutely loved the first book, Bite Me! Fang and Val are amazing characters and I was so happy I could read more of them. This book is a little different than the first book because of the character dynamics. Val is now involved with Shade instead of Dan and most of the book isn't Dan and Val running around San Antonio tracking down rogue vamps. The beginning, middle, and end was, as always, very interesting, funny, sweet, and attention-grabbing. The plot is so new but also so simple, easy to understand, and not predictable. Val is one of my favorite heroines in fiction and I wish this series got more attention.

Question Thursday (4)

Tweet

<a href="http://randomteenshtuff.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i768.photobucket.com/albums/xx326/bkobsessed17/questionthursday.jpg " alt="BWS tips button" width="125" height="125" /></a>

I created this meme because sometimes I'm curious as to what other bloggers think of blogging and how their personalty reflects their blog by their personal life. I love blogging about book but sometimes you need a little advice or a break. So every Thursday I'll ask a question and you can answer in the comments.

This week's question: Are you ever overwhelmed by blogging?

Sometimes I am. Besides all the stuff going on in my life blogging can be a last priority and I hate that. I usually try to stay on a schedule but we all know you can't plan life--or a blog.

In My Mailbox (6)

Tweet

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Take a look at what I've gotten lately!

Bought:

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Fade (Dream Catcher #2) by Lisa McMann

Borrowed:

Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars #1) by Sara Shepard

Flawless (Pretty Little Liars #2) by Sara Shepard

A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle #1) by Libba Bray

Recieved for Review:

Drinking Closer To Home by Jessica Anya Blau

Won:

The Midnight Tunnel (Suzana Snow #1) by Angie Frazier

Mumford & Sons - The Cave!!

Tweet

Just adore this song!