Armchair BEA Day 2: What Readers Want and Let's Collaborate and Listen

 Day 2 of Armchair BEA!!  Okay, I'm going to do my best to answer the two questions below, then I hope you'll chime in to the comments and let me know your thoughts as well.

• What Do Readers Want?: What makes or breaks a book? How do we rate the books, or determine if it is good literature or a good story? What do we want from an author event? 

 I think that this first question is a very subjective one.  I think that every reader wants different things.  And that is why there are so many different books out there. With different writing styles, genres, formats, etc., there is something for everyone out there.  It's why I don't say that any other genre or type of book is bad, or not good, it's just not my type of read.  I don't know that I always care if a book is "good literature".  I just want it to be a good story that captures my attention and makes it hard for me to put down. Characters are usually the biggest part of a story for me.  If they are someone that I think I would like to hang out with, or someone that I definitely connect with on some level, it usually is an automatic check mark that I'll enjoy that book.   

However, very simple writing, or else very poorly written - meaning grammar and spelling issues - can definitely ruin a story for me.  

At an author event, I love hearing them speak and answer questions.  I also like a chance to get to have a book autographed, or more important to me, get my picture taken with them.  

• Let's Collaborate & Listen: The online book community has changed so much over the years. How do we keep up within our own book-sphere as well as within the community as a whole (i.e., libraries, bookstores, authors, publishers, etc.)? 

I try really hard to keep up with my fellow bloggers by visiting their blogs, and subscribing by email to those that I want to make sure to keep up with even when I may not have the time to actually go and visit their blog daily.  I feel like keeping up with authors more happens on Facebook these days, compared to Twitter in the past.  I follow so many people on Twitter that I rarely have the time to read through  my timeline.  It's almost like I only go to Twitter in order to post something, or specifically seek a certain author out to ask them a question.  I've gotten a little braver with contacting publishers.  I feel like my blog has a good enough standing that I can reach out and request ARCs of books that I am very eager for.  I also like traveling to conventions when I can afford it and have the time.  I love meeting my fellow book bloggers in person, and it's an opportunity to meet authors that I love as well, and also a chance to meet new authors that I may then become huge fans of.

Review: The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater

Book info:
Title:  The Raven King  
Author:  Maggie Stiefvater
Series:  The Raven Cycle #4  
Genre:  YA Fantasy/Adventure
Published:  April 26th, 2016
Source:  Purchased myself

This is a book that I am going to have a really hard time reviewing.  I love this series so much.  I love this author's writing so much.  The first book, The Raven Boys, was so good and got me so in love with this series.  What was so exciting about that first book is that my last name was almost a character's last name in the book.  Don't believe me?  Too crazy?  Well here is a picture I took of the actual tweets with the author about it.

I try not to be too annoying, but it's hard not to remind her of this and say how sad I am that the character ended up on the cutting room floor whenever I go to one of her events.  Book 2, The Dream Thieves, also blew me away.  And again, book 3, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, just great, and I loved it.  Now, I will try really hard not to give any spoilers with this book for those of you who are caught up, but, I can't promise that for the three books before this one if you haven't read them.  So if you are behind, click on the links for those books and read those reviews first.  Just know that while this was a good ending to the series, it's almost like the amount of extra time between when it was due out, October 2015, and when it actually came out, April 2016, built it up too much in my head and I felt a little tiny bit of something missing for that wait.  But still, so so good, and you need to read the series!

But now, on with my review of this one.  The last book left off with such a sad place, the death of one character I'd grown to really like in the short time we got to know them.  Some new characters showed up, including Blue's father.  To learn exactly who or what Blue is, that was really neat and such a great surprise to me.  The daughter of the lost king, such a quirky character, which totally brought in something we'd been missing since the death or loss of other characters from before.  The tension in Blue and Gansey's at first hidden relationship, to the will they or won't they kiss, when we've all known what that kiss is supposed to mean for Gansey since the very first book.  We learn just how much of Ronan's life is a dream, or came from a dream.  And then there is Henry Cheng, I love his character, and what his past brings to the story really did add a whole other aspect that made the story even better.  Ronan getting a chance at love and happiness, well as happy as Ronan ever gets, that totally brought a smile to my face and made me so happy.  Of course there is the king to be found to see what kind of wish Gansey could be granted, maybe so he won't have to die?  And then Cabeswater itself is in trouble.  There are just so many strings that intersect in so many different ways that I can't even really tell too much about any one event without giving away another major event or plot line.

Here's my thought on how it all ended.  I feel like Maggie did a great job, believable, and perfectly normal for her type of world ending.  There are things about it that almost felt a little too easy to me, but I can't even explain what about it made me feel that way, so I can't even use that as a negative for the book.  I didn't have any trouble enjoying the book, to the point that as I read I wanted to know what was going to happen, but unlike the other books in the series, I didn't have problems setting it down and going on to do other things.  So there was something missing in that aspect I guess. But it wasn't the characters.  As usual, the characters were the best part of the story, and I will be sad to be done with them.  I know the story is over, but I could totally read on about their lives after it all.  Ronan and Adam, Gansey and Blue, and what about Henry?  You must read this series, and you must see how it all ends if you've read all of it so far.  

Series Review and Giveaway: After Series by Anna Todd #Hessa

If we are friends on Facebook, or you follow me on Twitter, you have seen the depth of my obsession with this series.  It all started when I noticed the 2nd and 3rd books in the series were available as Bargain books at the Barnes and Noble where I work part time.  I decided that since I could only get the first book for full price (well, minus my 30% discount) that I would just see about downloading the first one, After, to listen to from my public library. I had heard that these were One Direction Fan Fiction, and while I guess the character Hardin is based on Harry from the band, it had nothing to do with the band other than that.  Now, I didn't read it on Wattpad, so maybe it did on there and was changed for the published book?  I don't know.

I started listening to the book on February 11th.  This audiobook grabbed me from the start.  I finished it over the weekend, when normally I don't get that much listened to over the weekend, because I'm not driving in the car as much.  But it got me to go to the gym and walk on the treadmill an extra day because it gave me a way to listen to it without just sitting around the house.  I had to sit and listen for a couple hours to finish it on the 15th, because it was just so good, and I had to know.  Again, normally I would move on and read something on my Nook while I read the 2nd book up before bed.  But no.  After the way the first one ended, ripping my heart out of my chest, I immediately picked up the 2nd book, 671 pages, and finished it within about 24 hours.  The 3rd book, even longer, 834 pages, I also finished in about 24 hours.  That night I started, I was working at the bookstore again, and I knew I had to buy the rest of the books immediately so that I could continue reading straight through with no interruptions, there was no way my mind would even entertain any other story.  It's a good thing I did, because the store only had one copy of the 4th book.  And I also went ahead and purchased the first book, even though I'd already listened to it, because I know that I needed to own the whole series, and would, emotions and all, have to read this series again.  I finished all of the books by midnight last night.  And I figured I'd just do a big review for the whole series.  So, I will do my best to just do some quick little mini-reviews for each book here, so that I won't spoil for those who haven't read them before.  This is going to be a long post, so hold on, and I hope I can keep you till the end of the post when I will be giving away your copy of any book in this series, international as long as The Book Depository ships to you.

Book 1 - After

This book, this book, I just don't even know where to start!  I immediately connected to the main character, Tessa, as I started listening because she reminded me so much of myself when I started college.  Except for the way she dressed, I soooooo did not dress that bad.  Except for she had the obsessions with Toms and I had/still have an obsession with Keds.  But I was so naive, so innocent.  I also did not have a boyfriend like she did.  A lot of the things she did, said, ways she acted, were all things that I have either done, or could totally see myself doing.  As I read about Tessa and the other main character, Hardin, I found myself falling in love with him along with Tessa.  There were times when she was mad at him, and she would think about not going with him, but then she did.  I would be shouting in my car, "Don't do it!  Don't get in his car, slam the door and go back into the dorm!"  But later, when I got to thinking about it, I can see that I probably would have done the same as she did, being more worried about being rude to someone.  The sex scenes were very steamy.  The fact that this guy, kind of an asshole, (sorry about that language, but it's the truth), gave her the first sexual experience as him pleasing her, instead of demanding she do something for him, well at the time I wished for someone like that back when I was in college, instead of the first real boyfriend I ever had, my freshman year of college.  I know that their relationship is totally an emotionally abusive one, but you kind of were rooting them on, as Hardin seemed to try a little more each time she thought she couldn't take any more.  But then, the end, whoa.  You find out that the whole relationship started based on something so terrible.  I won't tell you though.  But, and while my bad experience in college was not the same as what happened to Tessa, it still brought back to me the feelings about what did happen to me, and I seriously, literally, physically felt the pain Tessa felt as it was all revealed to her.  What Tessa said to Hardin, it totally summed up how I feel about what happened to me:  "You took something from me that wasn't yours, Hardin.  That was meant for someone who loved me, loved me truthfully.  It was his, whoever he is, and you took that..."  I spent the rest of that night barely able to breathe, like there was a weight on my chest, like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. And the way it ended?  While the author is great as these kinds of cliffhangers as I found throughout the rest of the series, none of them compared to this one.  It was so sudden, ended with basically Tessa telling someone to "Tell me everything, every single detail."  That was it. I tweeted to the author about this, and she retweeted me:

So, after I was able to recover a bit, a few hours later on Monday night, I picked up the sequel, and was glad to be dropped right back into the story so that I could get all the details along with Tessa.

Book 2 - After We Collided:

Book 2 started me with that hole in my heart.   I really had no idea how in the world Tessa could forgive Hardin for what he'd done.  The humiliation, the ache of falling in love with someone to now feel that they had lied about everything they'd said they felt for you, even when they still tried to tell you that they'd fallen in love with you despite the horrible thing they'd done.  What was nice in this book was to get some of the chapters from Hardin's viewpoint.  To see how he really felt with her, but to also feel how his mind worked whenever he would get mad and be an ass to her.  I began to root for some of the other characters, Zed for one.  He'd always been nice to Tessa, nicer than Hardin.  Although to be fair, Hardin wasn't really nice to anyone.  And yes, Zed was in with the group who did the horrible thing to Tessa in the first book. But he seemed to be so sorry and feel so horrible about what he'd done.  But Tessa knew that in her heart, she would probably never be able to get over Hardin.  So of course the relationship seems to eventually get back into the cycle of the emotional issues, although it does get better, as I said, Hardin gets better, and even Tessa learns there are some things she needs to work on in how she deals with the relationship.  So much happens in this book, but really it ends with a happy time for Tessa and Hardin relationship-wise, but a huge surprise walks into Tessa's life at the end.

Book 3 - After We Fell:

So again, happily, the book picks up basically at the exact moment the last one left off.  But we have a new character in the mix for Tessa to deal with in her life.  We've seen how Tessa's relationship with her mother is, not great, and we know the past with her father. But now her father is back, and he seems to want to work on his life so that he can spend time with his daughter, and maybe make up for what he'd done.  Tessa wants this, hopes for this, because she's seen how Hardin's dad had changed his life and done this.  She's also got the opportunity to move to Seattle and work on her internship at the new Vance Publishing office.  But of course Hardin doesn't want to go to Seattle, he wants Tess to go back to England with him after he graduates.  Something that isn't in her plans, which always included moving to Seattle after college and getting into the publishing business.  This leads to more problems.  While they have taken her dad into their apartment, Hardin finds that maybe there is more than alcoholism as a problem, it may be drug use as well.  He wants to keep it from Tessa, and tries.  Although secrets always cause more problems.  The things Hardin does to try to keep Tessa with him.  Craziness.  But then, finding out that certain friends aren't really friends, that was horrible.  Just horrible.  But we've already found out all the horrible things that Hardin did in his past, and it's good to know that it isn't him behind what happens.  And there are characters that I have HATED since the first book, but they'll redeem themselves a little in this book.  There are some new characters, my favorite is Lillian, and some you love, and some not so much.  This ending is another cliffhanger in a way.  A major bombshell, this time dropped on Hardin instead of Tessa for a change.

Book 4 - After Ever Happy:

So I knew, well from the title, that there had to be a happy ending, right?  Yes, yes there will be, but not until after my heart has been ripped out of my chest again.  Hardin, that stubborn, pig-headed man that Tessa (and me) love, just keeps it up.  And then Tessa, something happens that it is just impossible to know how she can recover from.  To see that maybe Hardin has "ruined her" as he once threatened in the very first book, that she will never be the same, that maybe she can't ever take him back, totally heartbroken, her, and me.  So many ups and downs in this one.  But I determined that the co-dependent, emotionally unstable relationship wasn't just between Tessa and Hardin, but between myself and this book series.  It was during this book that I began reaching out even more on Twitter to my fellow fans of this series.  I even made a Someecard specifically about how I couldn't stop thinking about this book.   I had been on Goodreads looking for future books from the author and getting a bit of a spoiler about something that happens at the end of this, with Landon, so the ending wasn't a huge surprise, but how we got there, well I feel the author left some detail out this time, which was hard after how the other books had just been so much detail, minute by minute almost in the story.  I was left happy with most everything really.  The disappointments being saved in a way later, it was a roller coaster ride. So many family losses and revelations. But again, I even went on Twitter and begged that the author give me the minutes left out in another book, maybe in the upcoming book about Landon, which seems it will be taking place during some of those missed minutes.   Here's my meme that has been liked and retweeted (even by the author I think!) a ton now:

Book 5 - Before:

Before was a lot of stuff from before.  I thought it would just be the first book kind of from Hardin's point of view, way cut back obviously because of the size.  But it was more than that.  We got glimpses into the girls that he had done terrible things to in the past.  We got glimpses into the girls from his group when he met Tessa, including Molly and Steph. And while they had bad pasts, I can tell you that one of them, I don't feel a bit sorry for.  She has always been an evil witch from what we learned about her.  But it's not just before, there's during, and that is where we get the view of what happened during After, but now from Hardin's viewpoint.  And then, there is even some after.  We get some of those details I was missing from the fourth book filled in.  I loved those so much!  Was so happy for those!  Although I'm still hoping for some more details in the Landon book coming up.  I just have to say that this author knows how to wrap up her characters' stories.  I could sit and watch all of these characters in a soap opera type of show, all the boring, happy times, along with any of the not so good times.  My brain has settled down a bit.  Not needing to get back to a book to know what will happen next and if things can be overcome.  I love also that her characters do grow and change. But it's not really in a sappy, stupid way.  I feel like they worked for their changes, it wasn't easy.

Well, I'm going to have to finish this review.  My laptop only  has 6% battery left, and it's not comfortable to work on it where I plug it in to charge..  I hate that I didn't talk more about other important characters, my favorite being Landon.  But I'm sure I will when I get the new book.  And while I'm very excited for a movie to be made, I just hope that they do it right.  Don't pick a skinny, no curves girl for Tessa. She's got to have curves.  And it has to be rated at least R, as the steamy scenes are the best, better than just about any I've ever read.  If you haven't started this series, feel free to enter the giveaway below.  If you've started and haven't read on yet because you don't have the next book, enter below for that as well.  If you hated the series, I'm sorry.  I'm now a #Hessa fan for life.  Today is the day I will try to pick up another book, start listening to a different audiobook.


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Promo Post: Another Girl By Allison Burnett

Back in August I was contacted by Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag and asked if I might be interested in doing a promo for his new book.  It's not necessarily my normal type of book, since it's really NA as opposed to YA, but the story sounded interesting because it does have to do with online friendships and other types of online relationships. And so I wanted to talk about the online friendships I feel I have, both the ones that are just online, as well as the ones where I've actually been able to meet them in person!

I feel like I have had online friendships for a long time, since clear back in the late 90s.  I belonged to an online discussion group on AOL for people who loved dachshunds.  One of them was so nice that when I had a science teacher conference in Phoenix, Arizona, where she lived, she came and picked me up from the airport and drove me to the hotel.  She even took me out for dinner one night that I was there as well. 

In more recent times with Twitter, Facebook, and blogging, I've had more opportunities to talk to authors online, as well as even get to meet them!  The first one I want to talk about is Cara Lynn Shultz.  Her book, Spellbound, was actually the first e-galley I ever got.  And as I read it, I first looked to find her on Twitter, as I do for any new author, and she followed along with me as I read and loved and reviewed her book.  We became good "Twitter buddies" and found all kinds of things we had in common. We both loved New Kids on the Block when we were younger (I still do) and listened to the same kinds of music, as well as loved movies like Twilight.  When my younger sister moved to NYC, I was tweeting about all the places I went to visit when I got to go stay with her.  And when I suggested maybe we could meet somewhere, she said yes!  We ended up meeting in a public place, over by the New York Public Library that is located by Bryant Park.  It was November, so we went to a little bar they had in the park by the ice skating rink. We talked for hours!  Then she took me and my sister to see a little speakeasy in Grand Central Station, and we talked even longer.  Here we are that first night when I got to meet her.

Another author that I had followed online, and then recognized while standing in line at my first BEA in 2012 was Michelle Madow.  But I didn't even think to ask for a picture with her until the last time I saw her, my 2nd time at BEA in 2014.  And then I had just tweeted about hoping to run into her when she walked right by me while I was in line to see Becca Fitzpatrick.  Here we are:

I feel like I haven't had as much chance to meet a lot of bloggers in person as I would like to. In fact at times, I feel the blogging world can be a little "clique-ish", as I've had bloggers I knew were somewhere at BEA, but the didn't seem to want to meet up.  Others I've met in line at conferences and immediately had great conversations and definitely made friends with.  But there are many that I feel I talk to regularly and that we do make sure to go back and forth and comment on each others' blogs all the time, even if we may never get to meet in person.

Okay, enough about me.  Let me talk a little about this book that I'm sharing with you today.  Another Girl is actually a sequel to another book by the author, Undiscovered Gyrl, which was made into a movie that is now available on Netflix, called Ask Me Anything.

Here is the Goodreads blurb for the first book:

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.


Purchase links for Undiscovered Gyrl:
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307473120/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307473120&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2
Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/undiscovered-gyrl-allison-burnett/1103375212?ean=9780307473127

 Purchase link for Another Girl:
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Another-Girl-Allison-Burnett/dp/1516887514/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440376812&sr=8-1&keywords=another+girl 

Here's the movie poster:

I haven't seen it, but I am a fan of Justin Long, so may have to check it out soon!

So, do you have any awesome online friendships you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear about them!

Review: The White Rose (The Lone City #2) by Amy Ewing (September Sequel Challenge #3)

I actually got an ARC of this book through Books for Trade on Twitter, but originally I got an e-galley from HarperTeen and Edelweiss.  I really wanted a physical ARC though, to match the physical ARC I have of the first book, The Jewel, which I got at BEA in 2014.  So thanks to all of those I've listed, I finally got around to reading it, and enjoyed it!  It was still good, although not as great as the first one.  But it was good enough, and I still can't wait to read the 3rd one.  If you haven't read the first one, there will be spoilers here unfortunately.  In that case, click the link above taking you to my review of the first book, and stop reading this review NOW.  :-)

Where we left off, the Duchess had just caught Violet in bed with Ash, the male companion.  And what is in store for Violet and Ash is something she just can't stand to happen.  So she must run away, but instead of taking the potion that will make her appear dead, she gives it to her friend Raven, who seems to be in an even worse situation.  The two of them end up in the morgue after she's helped Ash escape with the help of Garnet, the Duchesses son, and even Garnet's sister, Carnelian.  But Carnelian loves Ash, even though she hates Violet, so she helps them because of that.  On the run they find out that the Duchess accused Ash of rape and so he is wanted everywhere for that.  Supposedly she still has Violet sequestered away and has signed a contract for her daughter, not yet born, to the Exetor's son.  Something that has never been done.  Violet had been rescued by the Black Key group, but her trip out of the city to the Farm is filled with dangers and chances of being caught.  Once Lucien finally helps them get to the Farm, she will meet Sil.  Sil was a surrogate at one time, and she escaped and is now living and helping try to take back the Island they live on.  She will help Violet figure out her powers, and how she can use them to help the cause. 

Both Violet and Ash's families will come into play in parts of this story, in very sad ways. We learn more about Ash's life as a companion, as well as what led up to the way the city is these days.  There's a lot of information in this story, although I still feel there is more to know.  We also get to meet some of the surrogates that we'd only heard mentioned at the Auction in the first book. 

I really liked that Ash was a pretty realistic character, I felt.  There was definitely some interesting new aspects to the auguries that we learned about, that caused the sicknesses back in The Jewel, that made the surrogates sick.  I'm also very intrigued about the history of the island and the people who were there before.  This definitely one you must read to go on in the story and find out what will happen in this world.

Review: Ensnared (Splintered #3) by A.G. Howard (Series Ender Challenge #1)

I got an ARC of this from trading through the YA Book Exchange with Jane from Much Ado About Books.  I didn't get around to reading it last weekend though, about a week after I got it.  But once I picked it up, it was all I could do to put it down in order to do things like sleep, work, drive, etc.  This review is going to be soooooo hard!  I loved it so much, but a lot of what I loved would be spoilers for other people, and I really don't want to ruin it for anyone.  So I'll do my best to be unspoilery.  Of course, if you haven't read the first two, I won't be able to help you with that, there will be things from those books.

We begin where the last one had left off.  Alyssa is on the train on her way to try to get the entrances to Wonderland opened back up.  Her dad has learned that all of the things that made her and her mother "crazy" are true.  And that at one time he was a part of all of it.  Alyssa's heart feels messed up thanks to when Red had been sharing her body.  Her mom is stuck in Wonderland, and Jeb and Morpheus are trapped in AnyElsewhere where they landed with Red.  There is an iron dome over AnyElsewhere that keeps magic from being used.  And Alyssa is so worried for Jeb, afraid that Morpheus either won't protect him, or will do something to keep Alyssa from ever getting to spend time with Jeb.  We learned in the last book that Alyssa and Morpheus's child will be what is needed to save Wonderland, to help with the imagination and dreams.  But Alyssa wants a life with Jeb as well.

Alyssa's father comes from a family that protects the two entrances of AnyElsewhere to keep things living there from getting out.  With her newly met Uncle, she and her father go in to try to save Jeb.  Only Jeb has changed.  Something about going into the world at the same time as Morpheus and Red has changed him, and he is cold to Alyssa.  He seems to be unable to forgive her.  While Morpheus has done his best to protect Jeb, Morpheus has lost his magic to Jeb it seems.  And along with that, he has told Jeb everything detail of the things that he and Alyssa have, making Jeb so unforgiving as he doesn't hear the whole truths, only what Morpheus chooses to tell him.

To save the world, they must capture Red, get through to Wonderland, and recreate all that has been destroyed.  But in the end everything will come with sacrifices. Some that may seem too great to survive, will in the end be just what is needed and even make their lives better in their own ways.

Can I just say, wow. The heartbreak, the sadness, the wonderful world, the beautiful imagery, the layer upon layer upon layer of story.  Things may turn out the way we want, but not in the way we think.  As I mentioned above, everyone has to give things up.  Even to a point, Morpheus.  One thing that I loved the most, I can't really even share, because I don't want to spoil that part about the ending for those of you who haven't read it yet!  And what is even more exciting is that the author posted today that there is a possibility of a follow up novella, here is the evidence from Twitter:

If I hadn't been at work on Wednesday when I saw this, there would have been some yelling and screaming going on!!  I need more of this world!  One thing that tells you how much I loved this, everyone knows that I never have time to re-read anything anymore.  But I want so much to go back and re-read all three of these books because I know I missed out on beautiful images from the land of Wonderland because I was in such a hurry to read and know what would happen.  The way the author writes is so wonderful, so beautiful, such an imaginative wonderful world.  Better even than the original stories that inspired her.

Wishlist Wednesday: Maureen Johnson: The Novel: The Board Game: The Musical on Ice by Jameson Morrissey

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at Pen to Paper Blog, in which feature a book we can't wait to get off of our wish list and onto our shelves!  I normally participate in Waiting on Wednesday sponsored by Jill at Breaking the Spine, but the book I am talking about this week is one that isn't a new book, not a new release.  It is one that was a very limited run of books, that is very hard to get.  I thought I had one ordered off of Amazon, then later the day I ordered, I got a message saying they'd already sold it.  So that really sucked!  So now, I'm hoping that maybe someone out there has a copy, or knows where to get one, because this is a book that I think would be so much fun!  
One author that just cracks me up on Twitter is Maureen Johnson.  And there is a book about her, with some very humorous, yet I hear somewhat or mostly truthful tidbits.  See my picture below where I met her last year at BEA.

Here is the information about Maureen Johnson:  The Novel:  The Board Game:  The Musical on Ice from Goodreads: 

Did you know that NY Times Bestselling author Maureen Johnson was once a part-time beekeeper? That she once encountered Mexican Jumping Tigers in New York City? Or that her fellow author friend Scott Westerfeld is impervious to death? Read the wildly hilarious secret past of YA author and Twitter Phenomenon Maureen Johnson! Personally tweeted to her legions of fans, Maureen has verified publicly that everything in this book--every detail--is true. All of it. For the first time, the mysterious blanks in her past are filled! A loving tribute to Nerdfighteria and Maureen's manic past, this book is crammed full of actual events and inside jokes, written to be accessible to even the most casual of readers. No prior knowledge needed! Pick up your copy today and see why the author herself has tweeted it to her legions of fans, stating "I barely have words for its majesty!"
How about you, have you heard of this?  Do you know where I might be able to get my hands on a copy?  This is a book I would kill to get my hands on!!  
What about you this week?  What book/books are you dying to get your hands on?

My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith

I started this book clear back in April of 2008, so it's been almost 5 years that it has taken me to finish it.  Yes it is a big book, but that's not why.  The book is exactly what it says, it is the blog or diary entries of Kevin Smith.  And so, as it seemed he may have been writing some of his entries while in the bathroom, I kept my copy of the book in the bathroom to read the short entries in short times for reading.  TMI, I know. Sorry.  But it goes along with this book.
This is not the sort of book I would normally review, I do review mostly YA, but if you are a long time follower of my blog, you know that I pretty much review any book I read, because that is what I blog for, to share my books.  And along with that, I am a HUGE Kevin Smith fan.  Which was kind of weird for me to admit at first.  I've always been, and still pretty much am, anti-drug.  I'll use a Kevin Smith trait here, and bring in a pop culture reference for why that is.  I was raised with the whole Nancy Reagan "Say No to Drugs" campaign.  And yes, I was, and kind of still am, a good girl in that respect.  I was the kid that all those commercials and campaigns were successful for.  Today I'm really mostly anti-cigarette as I lost both my grandma and grandpa on my mom's side to lung cancer.  And it was not fun to watch.  My grandma was only 46 when she died, and it was a few years of even being in a hospital bed in her own home.  My grandpa quit smoking when she got sick, but then it still got him years later, it seemed to just take him in a few months.  I feel it was from all the second hand smoke he'd gotten in the past few years in the local casinos, but who knows.  It was so hard to watch my grandpa, who I credit with a lot of the things I know and am interested in these days, go through all that pain.  But let's get off my past and onto the book.
I credit Matt Damon for my current admiration of all things Kevin Smith.  I believe it was the movie Dogma, that got me started on Kevin Smith movies.  And once I got past the drugs, I was able to look at the characters, and all the pop culture references that I kind of use in my own life, and just was hooked.  In fact, I have to say, if there was anyone I really wanted to meet right now that I hadn't met yet, it would be Kevin Smith.  He seems like such a cool guy.  And by cool, I mean basically a normal guy who has really succeeded.  And even though I say normal, I mean genius.  The way he is able to hit on so many things that people find hilarious, just normal things, it's genius.
Now it's been so long since I really started this book, that I don't even remember exactly what all was going on in Kevin's life during the entries in this blog.  I do know that we got to see how it was for him to deal with his friend Jason Mewes as he sunk into his horrible drug problem, and how Smith did his best to help him, and what was the final straw you might say that may have done the trick.  We get to read Smith's responses to his critics.  We get to read about all the great things he did for his fans that he knew were as big of "fan-boys" as he was for his own idols.  One thing I'm so disappointed to have missed out on, was getting my name at the end of the Clerks 2 credits.  I never knew about it until after the whole contest was over.
It's neat to read about his life with his wife and daughter.  To hear what it is like to be a parent in the "Hollywood" area, what to do with the fundraisers for the schools among some of the stories.  He talks about being a huge Bruce Willis fan, and talks about when he got the dream job of working with him in Live Free or Die Hard.  I have never been that big of a fan of the Die Hard movies, but because both Kevin Smith and Justin Long were in this movie, it was one I was excited to see.  Hearing Smith talk about what a day of filming on a Bruce Willis movie was like compared to his own movie sets was also really interesting.  To read Smith's fawning words about Willis, would probably be like me writing about all the cool authors I got to meet last summer at BEA.  If I was anywhere near as wordy as Smith.  And I mean wordy in a good way!
I did mark the page of another missed opportunity for me.  When there was a pre-screening for Clerks 2 in Kansas City, my hometown, Kevin Smith was actually  IN the theater!!!  And I know it was at the theater I go to, because a friend of mine was there, and even saw Smith!  I will always be jealous that I didn't get to see him then.  It is interesting how he talks about a woman in her mid-thirties walking out in disgust, when I would have been that age then, but wouldn't have been that woman!
And finally, one other thing I have to say about Kevin Smith, that I can't remember if it was in this book, or that I saw him post it on Twitter.  When the Comic-Con "regular" nerdy guys were complaining about all the screaming girls and their moms there for Twilight, he was like in full support of the girls.  For a couple reasons, one because they were fans, just as nerdy as the other guys in some cases.  The other reason, the guys should think about how many girls were now at Comic-Con, and their moms, who were in many cases, cougars.  And the "nerds" should look at it in that positive light.  Smith is the champion of all people who are mega-fans, like a lot of us bloggers are about our authors. He doesn't criticize anyone's tastes as being stupid.  He knows that many of the things he loves are considered stupid by others, but he doesn't care and loves them, and so he treats everyone how he wants to be treated, or at least that is what he says on social media.  And I choose to believe that is the real Kevin Smith.  And that, if I could hang out with him, in a no-drugs allowed situation, I think it'd be one of the most entertaining get-togethers of my life.
If you enjoy Kevin Smith, and won't be offended by the drug talk, (marijuana and cigarettes are really about all he is okay with, and alcohol of course), and quite a bit of cussing, you will enjoy this book.  It's not a sit down and read in one session book, but one to pick up and enjoy over many different periods.  You can read an entry at a time, or read through several that have a theme as he discussed whatever was going on at that time.
Now, I've had Smith favorite some of my tweets that I've mentioned him in, so my new goal, is to see if I can get him to come post a comment on this blog! So I'm off to tweet about this and see what I can make happen!

The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

I am a huge, huge, HUGE fan of Maggie Stiefvater.  And really, I need to just go read all of her books whether they sound like something I'd like right off the bat or not.  This book is proof that whatever the synopsis might say, her stories are way more than what they say they are about.  The same thing happened with The Scorpio Races.  It just didn't sound like "my kind of story".  But it was sooooooo good!  And this one was really good too.  One I couldn't put down.  It was really involved though, and there were times I was a bit puzzled, or went back to refresh my memory about something.  Part of that was probably because I was in my read as fast as I can because I need to know what happens mode.
I was really excited to read this book because a year or so ago, the author put a tweet out asking for different last names.  She said she wanted one for a small character in a  new book.  I didn't see many people responding, so even though I'm not the biggest fan of my last name, I tweeted it to her.  She asked me the origin of it, and then asked if she could use it.  I was like, OF COURSE!!!!!  I checked back with her a few months later to see if the character had still survived, and she said yes.  Here is a picture of those tweets:

But then, sadly, when I got to see her at BEA this past summer, she had some sad news for me, the character had been cut.  She told me what part it would have been with, and I found it as I read.  But it was sad.  Here is how she autographed my book that day at BEA after giving me the bad news:

She did say that Brenna Yovanoff, another awesome author that she is friends with, had fought to keep the character in the book, and Brenna was there and even confirmed it.

Okay, on with the book review!  There are a few main characters.  Really, Blue, a girl from a family of psychics is the main character.  She has been told by her psychic family and their friends for as long as she can remember, that the first boy she kisses will die.  Now, Blue hasn't really found a boy to love enough to kiss yet, but in this book, she will meet & find a boyfriend, that she must keep from kissing.  The other main characters are boys from the private boys school in Blue's town.  Their names are Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah.  Gansey of course is not his first name, but the name he prefers to go by.  All of the boys except Adam are rich, or come from rich families anyway.  Gansey owns an old factory building that he has set up apartments in.  And all but Adam live there.  Adam is poor, lives in a trailer home with his parents, of which we find out that his father is a physically abusive alcoholic.  Gansey wants Adam to come live with him, but Adam wants to move out on his own, not from someone giving him charity.  Every year Blue and her mother go to the ghost road, where a line of people who are not yet dead, walk and say their names.  They write them down and then know who will die.  This year Blue goes with her aunt who has recently moved in, Neeve.  And she sees Gansey's ghost.  Turns out that Gansey is looking for the ghost road, which is what he calls a ley line.  He is looking to find an ancient king, that if found, will grant one wish?  Gansey just really wants to find it.  Adam is hoping to get the wish.  Noah is a bit odd, and we find out later on just why.  Ronan has a feud with his older brother having something to do with when their father died.  We're not quite given the exact reason, at least I didn't really find it.  And they aren't the only ones looking for this ley line, and the king, Glendower.  There is one of the teachers at the boys' school, Aglionby.  He used to be an Aglionby student himself, until his father lost their fortune.  And now he is back teaching there, and is very bitter.
There are so many twists and turns, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.  The characters are all really well developed so that you get to know them very well.  I'm so glad it is part of a series, because not everything is wrapped up at the end, and I need to know where this goes!
If you liked other Maggie Stiefvater books, you're going to enjoy The Raven Boys as well.  And to finish out my review, here is my picture with Maggie at BEA 2012.

My 5 Favorite Things About Blogging

Continuing in the 3 year Blogoversary celebration, I'm using an idea I saw on Red House Books blog when they had their blogoversary last month.  Mine is a little different, I think hers was about her least favorite things about blogging.  And maybe I'll do something like that later this month.  But here are my 5 things.

1.  First, as I am still waiting to find someone to take a chance on me and hire me as a school librarian, I love that this is a way I get to share my love of books with others.  In some cases it is my fellow book bloggers and lovers.  But in other cases, it may just be family members or friends, who see a post show up on my Facebook timeline and want to check it out.
2.  In a way, it gives me one more excuse to spend extra time reading.  If I'm to keep my blog up to date and keep it going, I must keep reading books to have more to review, right?  :-)
3.  I've made a lot of new friends through blogging.  Some are more just Internet friends.  And some I got to actually meet in person at BEA this year.  I was disappointed that some I know and hoped to meet at BEA I didn't get the chance to meet up with them.  But that's okay, I got to meet others that I hadn't followed before, and now I have new awesome blogs to follow!
4.  Along with making new friends this way, I feel like I get to learn about books and authors I might not have heard of without following other people's blogs.  With all the drama about Independent authors lately, I have to say this is one way I have heard about them, whereas even with my part time job at the bookstore I might not have had a chance to hear of them.
5.  Finally, in a way, I feel like blogging has helped me meet or talk to authors online, in a way I might not have without it.  In fact, just the other day I emailed a link to my review of a book to the author, and he came and commented on my review!  So cool!  And then I feel like I get to talk to other authors on Twitter, or through their blogs, Facebook, etc.  And it even led to me meeting one of my favorite authors in New York City last November.  And then I feel like we got to be friends, as we hung out for several hours and had drinks and talked about all kinds of things!  And now I have my sister in NYC who has someone to know as well.  And I got to see her again when I was there for BEA.  You can see us all in the picture below, along with one of my new blogger friends!

Cara Lynn Shultz(author), Nancy DiGirolamo(blogger), me and my sis.

So, what do you think of my 5 reasons?  Are any of them things that are your favorites?  Or what do you enjoy?  I'd love to hear about it!  And again, stay tuned for my big giveaway which will start on Thursday, and I promise there will be some smaller ones coming up soon!

A Little Bit About Me and Why I Started Blogging

My 1st book t-shirt idea

August 9th will be my 3rd year blogoversary, and as I feel like I've really gotten into the blogging this past year, I'm going to do a whole month celebration. And I figured the most important thing to start with was why I do this in the first place.  A while back I began blogging, mostly as kind of a diary thing.  I talked about all kinds of things, my life, movies, books, tv shows, etc.  It was part of another website, one I'm not sure if I can even log into even more.  I teach middle school kids, and back in 2003 I got my Master's Degree in library science and information services.  And I also work part time at Barnes and Noble.  I've been trying to get a school library position since 2005, but have yet to actually get one.  So the bookstore is one way I kind of get to do what I want, a lot of the time I get to work in the kids department, so it is almost like I'm a school librarian.  And even within my own classroom I'm always talking to my students about what they're reading, and sharing about what I'm reading and my love of reading.
I moved my blog to Blogspot about 4 years ago.  And I continued kind of with the "diary" style of blogging.  I did do some book reviews and movie reviews still.  One of my friends from the bookstore, who I will be featuring her on Sunday hopefully, was also blogging, and hers was all books.  I really admired her blog, and talked to her all the time about books, so about 3 years ago, I decided to narrow down my blog.  At first I planned to do movies, books, and tv, and that is why my address for my blog is not quite the same as my blog title.  It was about miscellaneous reviews.  When I did decide to change to just books, I named it Lisa Loves Literature.  But I don't think I'm able to change the web address without losing all my posts, so I'm stuck with what it is for now.  I only know basic html, so that is one reason that I love Blogspot.  It makes it really easy for me to blog.  About a year ago I decided to pay someone to create my background, and that was Amber Laha.  I wanted a girl, with lots of books, with a dachshund.  My dachshund at the time was my Sydney, who I lost last January.  I do have another dachshund now though named Dora.  And I debate on either changing the dog picture to look more like Dora, or maybe to just add another one, so I can leave the Sydney dog.
I really got into reviewing when I was helping our state library association, MASL, choose books for their yearly award nominees.  This was a great way to keep track of my thoughts for the final rating, as well as I could share with my students my thoughts on what I'd read.  Then I remember finding that on Twitter, there were lots of authors.  Every time I read a new book, and liked it, I would look for that author on Twitter and follow them.  Oftentimes they would follow back, and that was the coolest thing in the world to me!  My  new motto was that authors are my rock stars.  (Which fits in well with the hop I'm participating in this month!)  Some authors I may not have read at the time I started following, but I followed them because I saw their books were popular in the Teen department.  And I've tried to read at least one of their books since that point.  I do still have a few I need to read one of their books.
I now blog mainly for my love of books.  I love to read, and I love to talk about what I've read.  I have a couple friends I can talk to about my books, and I do love to share my knowledge at the bookstore when I get a chance with customers, or at school with my students.  But in the book blogging world, I've found my kind of people.  I have met some of the nicest people, and get to talk books ALL the time with them!  And they don't think I'm weird when I talk the way I do about books and book characters.  I also have gotten some awesome opportunities to meet authors!!  I've been getting "free" books with ARCs as long as I've been working at a bookstore, I think about 10 years total between B. Dalton and Barnes and Noble.  But I've had a chance to win actual books from my fellow bloggers, and that has been great!  As well as learning of Netgalley, and when I got my Nook, all the e-galleys I get to read.  I honestly have only purchased about 5 or 6 books for my Nook, mostly what I read on there are e-galleys.  And the Shelf Awareness newsletter where I can keep up on the book world news as well as often get chances to get ARCs as well.
I hope you'll all keep up with me this month.  I'm going to try to post every other day, if not every day.  My Lazy Days of Summer Giveaway will end tonight at midnight.  And I know for sure my big giveaway will start on the 9th, with other giveaways spread throughout the month.  Thanks for following me, and giving me blogs to follow back, I've learned about so many books I may never have known about thanks to you guys!

Feature and Follow Friday #1

Feature and Follow Friday is a joint effort between bloggers to increase your blog following it is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.This week's question is:
What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get your hands on a book?
Hmm, this is a hard one.  The craziest thing I can think of is standing in line for hours to get a book at a midnight release.  I've probably done crazier things to try to meet awesome authors!  One of my favorites I follow on Twitter and I know she's from NYC, so when I went to NYC for the 1st time to visit my sister, I just tweeted and asked if she might want to meet me somewhere so I could get her authograph and meet her, and she did!  Turns out we hit it off pretty well, many things in common, and she has hung out with my sister a few times.  One time I found out last minute about an author that was going to be coming to Kansas City, and it was on a day I was out of town taking the Praxis to get another teaching certification, and I decided spur of the moment to call and reserve a spot and drove straight from where I was taking the test to the location to meet the author.  So, that's the craziest things I can think of.

While you're here, why don't you check out my 300 followers in January giveaway?  Guess I'm going to have to find a new way to get followers after this month any way if GFC is going to quit.  But for now, come and sign up and help me get to 300 followers in January!

So, what is the craziest thing you've ever done?

Follow Friday #13

It is time for this week's Feature and Follow Friday, hosted by Parajunkee, and Allison Can Read. This is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers.
This week's question is:

It's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., so we want to know what you are thankful for - blogging related, of course! Who has helped you out along the way? What books are you thankful for reading?

First I am thankful for all the years I have been employed by the Barnes and Noble book company. It is through them that I got my first ARCs. I also met my friend Charlotte, who has her own blog: Charlotte's Web of Books and kind of inspired me to start blogging about books. Along my journey, I've learned lots about book blogging from people like The Story Siren, and even Parajunkee. Even non-book bloggers have helped, like another of my friends from the bookstore, Greg at The Confounded Cook, inspired me with his consistency and dedication to his blog. So many authors that I've met and talked to online through Twitter keep me going too. I also am a big fan of Netgalley.com, another site I learned about from my friend Charlotte, that helps me get to read egalleys of books. And finally, I have to once again thank my bookstore job, as they allowed me to have a table in the store this past summer and fall that had my book recommendations as well as a sign advertising my blog. So that was really cool! And I want to thank Parajunkee for letting me be a featured blogger, and helping me to increase my blog following. I'm thankful for all the great bloggers I meet who share new book titles that I may not have heard of before.

So, what are you thankful for in your book blogging world?

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


So I've been a fan of Maureen Johnson since I first began following her on Twitter. I even got her to reply to me one time, a long time ago though. I hadn't read her books yet, just knew her name from working in the children's department at the bookstore where I have a part time job. I immediately picked up her books once I saw how funny she was because I just knew anyone who could be so funny in 140 characters or less had to be an asesome writer. And she is really good. I've read her Scarlett series, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and Devilish. And now I've read The Name of the Star, which I hear is going to be the first in a series. And I'm very glad to hear that because I really enjoyed this book.

I have also been fascinated by the Jack the Ripper stories ever since reading the book by Patricia Cornwell: Portrait of a Killer: Jack The Ripper - Case Closed as well as the movie From Hell which starred Johnny Depp, and the guy who plays Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies.

In this book, our main character is Rory, who is from Louisiana, but is now attending a school in London because of her parents traveling for their own jobs. She is attending a boarding school that just happens to be right near the whole Ripper scene. And, just as she arrives, someone has begun to imitate the Ripper murders. Rory also has some other weird things happen. She keeps seeing people that no one else sees. She soon realizes that she has the ability to see ghosts, one of which may be responsible for the new Ripper like murders. She also discovers she's not alone in having this ability and that she may be able to use it to help out and save more people from dying.



View all my reviews

Top 10 Tuesday: Top Ten Authors I'd Love to Meet

I was going to post a Hazards of Working at a Bookstore post today, I have 4 books to list from last week, but then I saw this post and thought I'd enjoy doing this.
This week's Top Ten is the authors you'd like to meet. There are more than 10 for me as well, but I'll stick to 10. And there are some I've already met, so I won't include them, even though earlier they would have been on my list.

1. Stephen King: I've loved his books since I began reading them my freshman year of high school. I've also enjoyed reading the articles he did for Entertainment Weekly magazine, even when I disagreed with him.

2. Dean Koontz: I have been reading his books for a long time as well. At least since high school. I love his attachment to his dog, Trixie at first. I loved the dogs in his stories. I would love to sit down and just talk to him about dogs.

3. Maureen Johnson. I discovered her when I began following her on Twitter. Then I read her books. She is hilarious! I think she would just be a ton of fun to hang out with.

4. Nancy Holder. I have been reading her books since the Buffy the Vampire Series books and love the way she captured the characters as well as wrote the stories.

5. Robert McCammon. Another author that I have read almost all of his books, except for the ones written in the past 5 or so years.

6. James Rollins. I think his original books were great, although I've gotten quite a bit behind in his Sigma Force books.

7. Maggie Stiefvater. Although, I should be getting to meet her on July 27th! So I may get to cross that off soon!

8. Charlaine Harris. I love the Sookie Stackhouse books, and would love to just sit and talk to her about how she comes up with her characters.

9. Laurie Halse Anderson. When I read her book Speak, you could say it spoke to me personally as I had a similar experience during my college years. I wonder if she's had the experience herself, or how she was able to write about such an experience and hit it the feelings right on the head.

10. Robin Wasserman. I love her books as well, and would love to again sit down with her and ask her how she came up with her stories.

Authors I've already met include: Stephenie Meyer, Jasper Fforde, Ellen Hopkins, Rick Riordan, Heather Brewer, Jay Asher, Meg Cabot, Veda Boyd Jones, Cheryl Harness, Carolyn Mulford, Roland Smith, Marie Smith, and James Howe. I wish I could have had more time with Stephenie Meyer and Meg Cabot though.

Authors I talk to on Twitter that are also on my list include (in no particular order): Melissa Marr, Cassandra Clare, Carrie Ryan, Rebecca Stead, Sarah Rees Brennan, Barry Lyga, Libba Bray, Beth Revis, Cara Lynn Schultz, Ally Condie, Andrea Cremer, Christoper Golden, Joe Hill, Becca Fitzpatrick, Sarah Mlynowski, Ally Carter, Scott Westerfeld, RL Stine, Lisa McMann, Jo Knowles, Judy Blume, Alyson Noel

Okay, I'm going to stop now. I really would like to meet all my favorite authors if truth be known.

2011 Debut Author Challenge 6: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Before I get started on my review, let me first say that at the 2nd session I attended at the MASL conference today I got reinspired to try to do book reviews for teacher and library magazines. Wish me luck, and don't let me just forget and not bother with it! I do know that the review will have to be much more tight and much better writing than I do here on my blog. I know I should probably take more time with my entries here, but so far I just kind of like posting as I think. Feels more authentic and personal. Also, very excited to meet both Jay Asher, author of 13 Reasons Why, and Heather Brewer, author of the Vladimir Tod series, tomorrow. And while it's always cool when Heather Brewer replies to my Tweets, or even my Facebook posts, it was cool that she seems to be looking forward to meeting one of her minions as well! Plus, Jay Asher replied to me today too! So exciting! I love technology. Although, with such cool authors as these, it makes it harder to understand the authors I tweet that don't even bother to ever reply, even when I link to my reviews. Oh well. It is what it is. It's obvious who the really COOL authors are.



And, on with the review. Blood Red Road is another ARC. I waited a bit to get to it, while it sounded good, when I first picked it up, I had some trouble getting into it. But once I did, well, let's just say it was a day or two of not wanting to do anything other than read. I even wished I didn't have to go to family birthday parties so I could stay home and read, and there was cake at the party!!! And cake is my weakness. But back to topic.



Our main character is named Saba. She lives with her twin brother, her younger sister, and her father in a place called Silverlake, that is actually a dried up lake now. This is set in a future world, when things have gone wrong, from the few bits and pieces we get, I'm assuming some kind of disease or plague or pollution of some sort. At the very beginning, her brother Lugh is kidnapped, her father killed, and she is left alone with her sister Emmi, who she doesn't much like. Saba sets off to find Lugh, and along the way they get caught and taken to Hopetown where Saba is made to fight in cages. Kind of a gladiator type thing. Made me think of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome for some reason. Saba does really good, winning all her fights. She meets a boy there, Jack, and a girl named Epona, who is part of a group of girls out to win freedom for all. They are able to escape and burn down Hopetown. Saba finds out from another girl that her brother has been taken for a sacrifice. The king wants someone to sacrifice every year to extend his life. This king is obviously crazy and we find out just how much.



This was a really good book. I can see it being a very popular book for teens. My only complaints, and they are minimal, first, I understand why they use a slang type of speech, it fits the type of life the main characters have had, but it is still hard for me to read that as I'm so used to correcting grammar in papers I have to grade. The one other thing I didn't like is that they didn't use quotation marks when someone was talking, so sometimes I'd have to go back to re-read what I hadn't realized was someone talking to help my mind make sense of it. Nothing about the story was bad, just some things that my brain had a little trouble processing. But as I said, it didn't stop my brain from wanting to pick up the book and read constantly! I liked the way the relationship between Jack and Saba developed, its highs and lows were very good, and relatable I think.

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer

Well, I wanted to go back and read my review of Eighth Grade Bites, the first in this series, but I can't find it on my blog. So it's possible I read this back when I was still blogging on either Live Journal or My Space. Neither of which I really use anymore. I remember thinking the first book was good, but not just extremely sucked in by them. But when it won the Truman award last year in Missouri, and then I started following the author on Twitter, I have had it on my list to finish reading. And THEN, I found out that the author is supposed to be at the Missouri Association of School Librarians conference this spring, that I am going to, I KNEW I had to read the books. And boy, once I picked up the 2nd one, Ninth Grade Slays, I was hooked! The story really picked you up and got you involved.

I ended up just buying the boxed set of the first 4 books. And zoomed right through the 3 I hadn't read yet. In ninth grade, we get a trip to Siberia for Vlad to learn some vampire lessons. We also learn there are actually vampire slayers, and one of them is in Bathoria to hunt. And Vlad is who they're after. It's shocking when we find out who the actual slayer is.

In Tenth Grade Bleeds, again, we get sucked in again. This time we learn that Henry, Vlad's drudge and best friend, wants to be released. And Vlad must once again go up against D'Ablo. Again, a very good story, I couldn't put it down wanting to know what was going to happen with Henry. And Vlad is thinking it is not safe for him to be around Meredith, his "true love" anymore, because when he gets close to her, he thinks about feeding.

In Eleventh Grade Burns, Vlad's uncle Otis must go to trial. And there is a strange vampire named Dorian, who wants to drink Vlad's blood. In this story, the slayer from ninth grade is back, and he is intent on killing Vlad this time. At the end of the book, there is a huge cliffhanger, leaving us wondering if Vlad's parents are really dead or not.

And finally, Twelfth Grade Kills, I had to check this one out at the library, as it is only in hardcover and I don't have the money to buy it till next weekend. But again, sucked right in. It's Vlad's senior year. And now Otis may be cleared, but Vlad is now having to stand trial, and the only way to save himself is to prove that he really saw his dad, that his dad is really alive. But finding his dad may not be quite the wonderful end that Vlad hoped for. Not to mention that because the slayer has not killed Vlad, the whole Slayer Society now intends to come and completely wipe out the entire population, both human and vampire, of Bathory.

After a week or so of being involved in this world, it's kind of sad to now be out of it. I know the author is writing The Slayer Chronicles now to show the slayer's side and life. And I eagerly await this. I'm so excited to meet Heather Brewer as well, and tell her how much I loved her books. And while I did recommend them before, now that I've read the whole series, I will be recommending it left and right to teens at the bookstore.