Win Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

CONTEST CLOSED

Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school, and the two girls become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory's magnetic older brother, Ryland, shows up during their junior year. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe, but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself. Soon she'll discover the shocking truth about Ryland and Mallory: that these two are visitors from the faerie realm who have come to collect on an age-old debt. Generations ago, the faerie queen promised Pheobe's ancestor five extraordinary sons in exchange for the sacrifice of one ordinary female heir. But in hundreds of years there hasn't been a single ordinary girl in the family, and now the faeries are dying. Could Phoebe be the first ordinary one? Could she save the faeries, or is she special enough to save herself?

(1) lucky winner will receive Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
courtesy of Penguin Group



Other details:

• US mailing addresses only.
• Contest ends 11/15/10, at 9 p.m. EST.

Remember, you must complete the form to be entered. If you have any questions about this contest, see my contest policy, or contact me and ask away.

Not-So-Mini-interview with Nancy Werlin

What is your idea of the perfect vacation?
Writing all day, and then hanging out with my husband and/or my writing buddies that evening. Seriously. Right now, I'm fixated on a writing retreat I'm going on next year in Taos, New Mexico. That's looking like a pretty perfect place to me. Check it out: http://taoswebb.com/

What is your favorite onomatopoeia?
I remember my ten grade English teacher writing that word on the board. He underlined POE in it, and then launched us into a discussion of Edgar Allan Poe. Thus I never really learned what onomatopoeia meant, but I have a vague sense that there's a lot of it in Poe's poem "The Bells." Let's look it up. Aha, yes, here's the beginning of it:

Hear the sledges with the bells -
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!
While the stars that oversprinkle
All the heavens seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells -
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

I like that, don't you?

What color best describes your personality and why?
I do not believe for a second that colors accurately describe personality. I can tell you my favorite color, however: turquoise. Unhappily, I don't feel comfortable wearing a lot of turquoise. I wear a lot of black. Now, you'll say that black describes my personality. I don't think it does, however. It's just a really easy and beautiful color to wear.

What song can you relate to the most?
Hooray, Book Muncher, you have asked me a question that I can brazenly work around to talking about my book, Extraordinary. Thank you.

Extraordinary was inspired in part by the song "For Good," from the musical Wicked. Go listen to it here at this link, where (because this is a clip from a rehearsal), you'll also learn a bit about the musical if you don't already know of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwpKB-sj7GI

There I was, watching the musical Wicked (from the novel by Gregory Maguire, musical adaptation by Stephen Schwartz, with book by Winnie Holzman). We’d gotten to the penultimate scene where Glinda and Elphaba sing "For Good":

Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?

I was in tears before they reached “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” For me, the play had gone beyond entertainment and arrived at that ultimate aim of all art: raw emotional truth.

Wicked and “For Good” made me want to try to write a novel that would go to that same core place. It would be about an enormously important friendship between two teenage girls, one more pivotal than a romantic love affair. This friendship would test both girls to their limits, and would force them to grow, not just into maturity, but into better selves than they could ever have imagined becoming alone.

So, in short, I related so well to this song that I wrote an entire book in homage to it.

If you could live during any time period, which would it be?
I was asked this same question during my freshman year of college. I was taking the train to New York City with my friend Noelle for a day of shopping and theater, and on the train we sat with another pair of girls, one of whom asked this question. Poor thing, she was just trying to have some interesting conversation. She was, I later realized, a very romantic girl, and full of the interesting historical information she'd been studying lately and was in love with.

But I wasn't the slightest bit romantic; I am as practical a person as you will ever find. So I couldn't have that conversation, even for fun. I said, "Well, I don't understand how any woman in her right mind could want to live in any time but now."

Which brought the conversation to a crashing halt. And truly, any woman would have to be insane to want to go far back in time. (Except, perhaps, for an evening or two during which you could wear a really pretty ball gown.) Even if you were a wealthy woman -- and God help you, going back in time as a woman if you're not from the upper-classes -- your life would be pretty grim in all sorts of ways.

I was reading a friend's in-progress historical novel recently for critique, and in the course of it, our hero was wounded. In the next scene, a woman went to work on him, and the first thing she did was summon water to clean him up. "No!" I wrote in red in the margin. "In 1770, she would have no concept of germs or of the importance of cleanliness. Plus, water would be hard to come by; she can't just turn on the faucet. In fact, you might want to reconsider giving him Our Hero this grave wound at all, because, chances are? If you're going to be historically accurate, he'd die of it."

All of which is true. During the Civil War, a full century later, doctors were taking their bloody hands from one patient to the next, without pause.

So, I'll stay right here in the 21st century, except again, I wouldn't mind the chance to wear this dress from 1868:

You know you're a bookworm when...

A. you run out of the same class practically every other Tuesday to get to a book signing
B. you go to two different book signings and for six different authors in the same night
C. you talk to two different authors about owning two copies (one ARC, one hardcover) of one of their titles at those signings
D. you buy one (or two) new books despite promising yourself you wouldn't because you have no place to put them
E. all of the above

Guess which answer I have to pick? That's right, the last one. Because it's all true.

Basically, last night, Mitali from Alley of Books and I were planning on attending the book signing with David Levithan and Rachel Cohn at The Strand in celebration of the release of Dash & Lily's Book of Dares. But then I found out about another book signing with Natalie Standiford, Melissa de la Cruz, Suzanne Weyn, and Anna Godbersen at Books of Wonder that started an hour earlier. Therefore, we decided that we could make both.

Since we got to Books of Wonder early and immediately spotted Natalie Standiford, Melissa de la Cruz, and Suzanne Weyn, we were able to get our books signed really quickly. We didn't end up staying for the actual event (or seeing Anna Godbersen) since we wanted to have the best seats in the house for the Dash & Lily event.

Melissa de la Cruz, me, and Natalie Standiford

Suzanne Weyn and me

So then we ran to The Strand (which thankfully is only about ten minutes away).

All I have to say about the Dash & Lily event is that David Levithan and Rachel Cohn are just hilarious. I was pretty much chuckling the whole time when they were reading, which just makes me that much more excited for when I read Dash & Lily's Book of Dares.

a super cool poster for Dash & Lily that I wish was mine

me and Mitali get excited, with good reason (thanks to Susane for this picture)

 

David Levithan and Rachel Cohn (thanks to Susane for this picture)

I have to say that meeting Melissa de la Cruz, Suzanne Weyn, and Rachel Cohn and seeing Natalie Standiford and David Levithan again was pretty darn fantastic. But even better was running into Susane Colasanti, Courtney Sheinmel, and Eliot Schrefer, who are just fantastic people in general, and finding out that Rachel Cohn and Courtney Sheinmel are Barnard women (!) like me.

In all, it was a great night for a bookworm like me!

Spooktastic ARC Giveaway

CONTEST CLOSED

In the mood for some scary or at least Halloween-related reads? Well, then, you're sure in luck!

(3) lucky winners will receive ARCs of The Witches' Kitchen by Allen Williams, The Saga of Larten Crepsley: Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan, Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney, and Dark Song by Gail Giles.
courtesty of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers



Other details:

• US/Canada mailing addresses only—no PO boxes.
• Contest ends 10/30/10, at 6 p.m. EST. Winners must send me their mailing address by 11/01/10.

Remember, you must complete the form to be entered. If you have any questions about this contest, see my contest policy, or contact me and ask away.

The Pizza Delivery Blog Tour

Ding dong. Pizza delivery. I’ve got one mushroom, onion and black olive here for someone who calls herself the Book Muncher…

What? Pizza Delivery? Has A.S. King gone mad(der than we already thought she was?)
Last week, my book Please Ignore Vera Dietz came out. That's exciting stuff. But what's better is: I get to come around and see some of my favorite-ever book bloggers and answer some cool questions that were generated in the A.S. King pizza delivery question generator.  (Official Rules here, if you’re the curious type.) I thank you for having me, Book Muncher! On to the questions...

TBM: What are some of the more unusual occupations you’ve held and how have they influenced your writing?

ASK: I’ve had some really interesting jobs. While I was still in school, I did some fast food, some catering, pizza delivery, and my favorite, a summer camp counselor. My college degree is in traditional photography, and I was trained as a master printer, so I had a lot of jobs that required me to work in darkrooms. Which was cool, actually. (I have an adult book about that.) I have run off with the circus a few times, but not to work as much as to just run off. It helps to have friends who own a circus. My favorite job of all time (outside of writing books, which is bosser than anything) was being an adult literacy teacher. Not unusual, I guess, but it’s most influential in a way you’d probably wouldn't expect.

Learning how to read as an adult is really hard. Harder than a lot of things I’ve witnessed or experienced. My literacy students constantly reminded me about determination. About dedication. About failing and getting back up again. I was writing novels and getting rejected all that time I taught literacy, and when I wanted to give up, how could I? Seriously. How could I even complain?

TBM: What pizza topping combination would you recommend for a night in reading Please Ignore Vera Dietz?

ASK: I’d say any topping combination that tastes good to you cold, because you may need to go back to the pizza box in the middle of the night while you’re still reading.

TBM: What was your most memorable experience as a teen?

Book Muncher, thanks so much for having me to your blog again. I hope you enjoy your [imaginary] pizza and thanks so much for your support over the years. YOU TOTALLY ROCK.


Next Stop on the Pizza Delivery Blog Tour, Oct. 26th: Steph Bowe!

Win Juggler in the Wind by Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin

CONTEST CLOSED

When a ragtag circus shows up in the town of Buchanan, Kansas, fourteen-year-old Randy Carmichael faces a deep mystery. Why is his alcoholic mother so troubled by the troupe's arrival? What does Circus Olympus mean to her past and to Randy s future? Voices summon him, a godlike figure appears in his dreams, and supernatural adversaries lay in wait for him as he embarks on a dangerous quest that will take him beyond mortal reality.

(1) lucky winner will receive Juggler in the Wind by Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin
courtesy of ChironBooks



Other details:

• US/Canada mailing addresses only.
• Contest ends 11/05/10, at 9 p.m. EST.

Remember, you must complete the form to be entered. If you have any questions about this contest, see my contest policy, or contact me and ask away.

Interview with Beth Fehlbaum

What did you hope to accomplish through writing Courage in Patience and Hope in Patience? What do you feel that you have accomplished?
I initially wrote Courage in Patience as a way of pulling myself out of my own grief, disbelief, and rage that I had been the victim of childhood sexual abuse and people who were responsible for keeping me safe neglected to do so. I also wrote it just to see if I could do it. It wasn’t until I had completed the book that I realized it was something that had the potential to help others who were hurting, too. With Hope in Patience, I wanted to tell more of Ashley’s story and show that although recovery from childhood sexual abuse is one of the most difficult things a person can do, it is not only possible to recover one’s life, but it is also possible to thrive and be stronger than ever before. I feel that I accomplished both those goals with these books. Life does not stop during recovery—if anything, life becomes more colorful and great discoveries about oneself are made. Imagine if you had lived all your life with a shadow over it that caused your perceptions about yourself and others to be distorted; then, through excruciatingly hard work and determination, you began to see people and things as they are. It’s the equivalent, I think, of going from living in darkness to discovering sunlight. Sometimes the light hurts your eyes, but overall, that sunlight is necessary for all of life to be what it is.

Your novels Courage in Patience and Hope in Patience were partially inspired by events in your own life. What was the process of integrating your life with your writing like?
It’s said that all authors’ debut novels are autobiographical in nature. That said, Courage in Patience is not an autobiography; nor is Hope in Patience. I did draw on many of my own experiences to write both books. Ashley has Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and so do I—and I pulled from what it is like for me to have PTSD to write what it’s like for her. At the same time, Ashley has a strong tendency to harm herself through cutting or scratching herself—and I have never had that to the extent she does. I write what I know; for example, I use my experience as a teacher to create the Patience High School environment and many of the characters, but I also use my experience as a mom to three now-grown daughters. The character of David is VERY loosely based on my husband in terms of the physical characteristics and his occupation as a heavy equipment mechanic. Ashley’s dog, Emma, is based on my dog, Emma, who shared many of the fictional Emma’s tendencies of having a timid personality.

Writing about sexual abuse is no small feat to begin with. Why did you also choose to incorporate other issues that teens commonly face?
One of the most valuable lessons I learned as I was going through recovery was that other people have problems, too. One of my therapist’s catch phrases is, “Life’s messy.” It was very healing for me to realize that while being sexually abused and suffering from neglect is a very traumatic thing and a real tragedy, I did not have a corner on the tragedy market. In addition to that, it is very important to me that readers see themselves in my books and identify with the characters.

Why did you choose to make this a “survival story” rather than an “abuse story?”
It’s crucial that people who were abused come to see themselves as survivors rather than victims. In addition, the story IS about overcoming rather than staying complacent and under somebody’s heel.

Which of your characters can you relate to most and why?
Great question! I am an amalgam of Ashley and Bev—but I have a deep understanding of all the characters and why they are the way they are, or I would not be able to write them in a way that makes them come alive for readers.

What was the most difficult part about writing Hope in Patience?
The scene in Cheryl’s hospital room just about ripped my heart out. I was writing it at a time when I was struggling with the notion of acceptance. And that’s all I’m going to say about that. :)

What is the most interesting thing you learned while writing Hope in Patience?
I did a lot of research into the judicial process and vetted the courtroom scene with my brother, a police sergeant and long-time detective with a lot of experience in child abuse cases. He helped me with the concept of the Victim Impact Statement—which is just wild to me. The idea that a defendant can call character witnesses prior to sentencing, but the victim cannot present a statement detailing how the defendant’s actions harmed her until after sentencing has been pronounced—that just seems upside down to me. The good thing is, the defendant has to stay and listen to the Victim Impact Statement, should the victim and /or her family decide to make one.

What is the most rewarding part of being a young adult author?
Hearing from people who were impacted by reading my books, and knowing that what they read made a difference in either how they feel about themselves or how they have a deeper understanding of someone they love now. And, I like it when they appreciate the humor in my books, because I work hard at that, too.

If there was one thing you could change about Hope in Patience, what would it be?
The only thing I would change about any of my journey as an author so far is, if I could do it over again, I would have WestSide Books, my publisher for Hope in Patience, as the publisher of Courage in Patience. Other than that, I can’t think of anything I would change about Hope in Patience.

What are you working on next?
I am currently at work on the third and probably final book in the Patience series—tentatively titled Truth in Patience. I am a teacher from late August to the end of May, and I try to write full-time during the summer. I expect to have Truth in Patience finished and submitted to my publisher sometime next summer.

And a final note from Beth…
Thanks so much for the interview! I really appreciate your great questions and willingness to host me on my blog tour! I invite readers to visit my website, http://www.bethfehlbaumya.com, to read Chapter 1, and e-mail me by October 25 to let me know what they thought of it. I will draw one winner from those who e-mail me, and that person will win a signed copy of Hope in Patience. Everyone who e-mails me with a comment about Chapter 1 of Hope in Patience will receive a signed bookmark!

Hope in Patience is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as in Barnes & Noble stores. Courage in Patience is still available through Marketplace sellers on Amazon.

Arson by Estevan Vega

Arson Gable is not a normal guy. There’s something inside of him that sets him apart from everyone else. It isolates him and sometimes makes him hate himself because Arson can create fire from his very body. Because of this, he mostly keeps to himself, haunted by the guilt of what he did years ago. Then a family moves into the abandoned house next to Arson’s home, and everything changes. The daughter, Emery, is not a normal girl. She feels more comfortable behind a mask than in her own skin. These two outcasts form a fragile bond, but it threatens to shatter with each and every mistake they make. They both want peace, but that may be the one thing out of their reach.

I was drawn to this story because of how unique this story sounded. It’s not every day that you read about a reluctant arsonist who can produce fire at will. However, this story turned out to be very different than what I expected, and I was not pleased with the results. Though most of the story focuses on Arson and his problems with everyone from his crazy grandmother, moody Emery, and his lazy coworkers, there are too many tangents. The reader is flooded with all these little subplots about Emery’s parents’ problems, Emery’s mother’s infidelity, and Kay’s insanity, not to mention other strange sections that are never fully explained by the end of the novel, that never fully relate to the main story. I found it extremely difficult to relate to any of the characters, not because of their unusual characteristics and situations but because of their personalities, which were strange and often inconsistent. And lastly, Vega’s writing bothered me. It continually felt like he was trying too hard to insert metaphors here and there that the rest of the writing was neglected and dull. The one thing that Arson has going for it is the unusual bond between Arson and Emery, but this as well is not developed to its full extent.

Though I was very disappointed in Arson, it may still appeal to fans of Wake by Lisa McMann and Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus.

Rating: 2.75

Review copy from author Estevan Vega

Congratulations to...

holdenj, Lauren M, Mary DeBorde, Beverly Jean, and Megan

who all won a copy of Dust by Joan Frances Turner

&

Victoria Zumbrum, Denise, and Joana

who each won a copy of Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney and a Bloodthirsty iron-on badge

Grace by Elizabeth Scott

Grace is an Angel. All her life, she was taught that she is giving her life for a worthy cause, the cause of freedom. She’s been told that it is honorable to die and take as many others with her as possible. But when Grace’s time comes, she cannot make herself do it. A life of questioning her people’s beliefs has finally caught up with her. Now, rejected by her own people and unwelcome among her enemies, Grace is on the run, hoping to find a border to escape to real freedom. Along with her mysterious companion Kerr, Grace is on a dangerous journey, fraught with peril and chilling memories. But in the end, she might be able to find the freedom she desperately craves—and the strength to deserve it.

Having read most of Scott’s young adult books, I believe I am qualified to say both that she is a good writer and that she has grown as a writer. Though I do love her more innocent teen romances, Scott has long since graduated to heavier topics, as in Living Dead Girl. In Grace, Scott goes even more above and beyond. She creates a dystopian world of extreme belief systems that will shock most readers, perhaps because they are so realistic and would not be out of place in society today. In the middle of all this is young Grace, a girl who just wants to live in a community that dictates that she can’t. Readers will come to love this fragile girl as she tries to figure out who she is in the cruel world she lives in and comes to terms with her past. As always, Scott wonderfully portrays the emotions and ironies of life in Grace. I do warn that because this novel is so different from Scott’s other novels, especially because there is more reliance on background and flashbacks than the present story, it may be difficult to keep track of names and situations, but overall, Grace is a story worthy of anyone’s time.

Fans of Scott’s writing in Living Dead Girl will not want to miss Grace, nor will those who liked Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien and Unwind by Neal Shusterman.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from publisher Penguin

Halo party

Or sort of.

Thanks to the lovely Eleni from La Femme Readers, yesterday I found myself at one of the coolest book events I've ever been to. I missed an Alexandra Adornetto signing at the library because I had this pesky little thing called class, but I was able to meet her later, along with some other very fabulous people, including Eleni and Mitali from Alley of Books, at this little celebration the wonderful people of Macmillan threw in honor of Alexandra Adornetto and her new novel Halo.

me, Alexandra Adornetto, Mitali, and Eleni
(please ignore the fact that my bangs in my eye make me look like a squinty cyclops)

I basically had some great conversations about books, how fashionable and adorable Alexandra is, cover artwork, and the like. Just a heads up, but you guys should be very excited for the cover to Halo's sequel, Hades. If you, like me, thought the cover for Halo was absolutely gorgeous, then you will probably love Hades' cover. Not that I've seen it because it doesn't exist yet, but I did meet the man who designed Halo's cover and is designing the one for Hades, and with expert input from three fabulous book bloggers (and amazing talent, of course), the cover should be pretty darn fabulous.

I had such a great time just getting to know some of my fellow book bloggers as well as meeting some of the friendliest and nicest people in the world: the book people of Macmillan. I just get so excited meeting publicists and authors and editors and basically everyone they work with. It's a thrilling experience. And who knows? Maybe one day these people will be my colleagues (though that may just be wishful thinking!).

Siren by Tricia Rayburn

For Vanessa Sands, summer has always been in Winter Harbor with her wild older sister Justine and the Carmichael boys. But Vanessa has never really felt part of the group; her shyness and fears prevent her from participating in all of Justine’s daring excursions. When Justine dies in a cliff diving accident, everything changes for Vanessa. She discovers that her beloved sister Justine had been keeping secrets from everyone. Torn between wanting to move on and figuring out who her sister really was, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor on her own, but Winter Harbor is no longer a safe haven. Brutalized bodies are being washed ashore—smiling. Along with Simon Carmichael, Vanessa sets out to figure out what’s really going on—only to discover some startling truths about Winter Harbor, her family, and herself.

I really was not expecting much from Siren, because I figured it would be another standard paranormal story. However, Siren turned out to be something more. At first, the reader can’t really tell if this is a paranormal novel because that element doesn’t enter the story until almost mid-way through the book. Rayburn eases in the supernatural angle so that the story appears more realistic. I loved reading along as Vanessa and Simon unraveled the mystery of certain inhabitants of Winter Harbor piece by piece. As in many paranormal stories, there is a central romance and some kind of ultimate life-threatening event. Rayburn actually does these rather well; the romance between Vanessa and Simon was realistic and sweet and the great mystery turns out to be rather unique with Rayburn’s version of the femme fatale. The story may start out a little slow, but it pays off to continue reading, because Siren is an immensely enjoyable and unique paranormal read.

Siren will be enjoyed by fans of Sea Change by Aimee Friedman, Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus, and Evermore by Alyson Noël.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from publisher EgmontUSA

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

Kaylee Cavanaugh is a bean sidhe—which means she screams when someone dies. But when she and her boyfriend Nash go to see teen pop star Eden live in concert, Eden dies onstage—and Kaylee doesn’t scream. Kaylee knows something is seriously wrong, because she can’t scream for someone without a soul. It turns out that up-and-coming teen stars everywhere are selling their souls for fame and fortune. What they don’t know and can’t possibly understand is the price, because their fame and fortune is temporary but their eternal torment in the Netherworld at the hands of a hellion is forever. The last thing that Kaylee wants is the added stress, but she can’t just sit back and do nothing either. There are souls at stake here, and Kaylee will do almost anything to save them—including risking her own.

Though I enjoyed My Soul to Take, I wasn’t its biggest fan, and so I didn’t really expect much with My Soul to Save. The story is satisfactory and interesting enough, but other than that, it doesn’t really stand out too much from other paranormal novels. The novelty of bean sidhes wore out slightly by the time I finished this novel’s prequel, so already My Soul to Save didn’t have that going for it. Even learning more about bean sidhe abilities didn’t quite excite me. I appreciate Vincent’s skill at creating a unique story that present more danger than Kaylee faced in My Soul to Take and I liked how the Kaylee and Nash’s romance took a backseat to the action, but I still found it a little hard to really get into this novel. It’s enjoyable, but not the best paranormal read.

My Soul to Save will be enjoyed by fans of My Soul to Take, also by Rachel Vincent and Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez.

Rating: 3.75

Review copy from Big Honcho Media

Tale of a book signing with Sarah Beth Durst, Cinda Williams Chima, Yvonne Woon (and also Sophie Kinsella)

Wow, that was a bit of a lengthy title, if I do say so myself! But what can I say, I have seen a lot of authors lately.

I was downtown at Books of Wonder just yesterday for a signing with three fabulous YA fantasy writers: Sarah Beth Durst, Cinda Williams Chima, and Yvonne Woon. To be brutally honest, I mostly came for Sarah because I actually have not read anything by either Cinda or Yvonne.

Lovely lady authors seem to come in threes

Sarah Beth Durst and Cinda Williams Chima

debut novelist Yvonne Woon

So when I stepped up to get my copy of Sarah's latest novel, Enchanted Ivy, signed, and I introduced myself and our conversation basically went like this:
SARAH: I love your blog!
TBM: Great! I love your books!
(Not exactly a direct quote, but you get the picture). The whole experience just reminds me of why I love bookish people: the authors are incredibly nice, their dedicated readers are just fantastic, and (most of the time) the booksellers are great as well.

me along with Sarah Beth Durst and Cinda Williams Chima

I actually have one more picture to share, although not from this book signing. I believe I mentioned a while back that I went to see an unnamed author at a signing. While, she is nameless no more! I went on behalf of my sister to see Sophie Kinsella, author of the Shopaholic books. My sister is a huge fan; Sophie comes only second to Meg Cabot in my sister's mind. The reason I could not reveal this before is because I sent the signed book to my sis as a surprise! Now that she has the book, you can all see another exciting picture of me!

me and Sophie Kinsella

And just so you guys know, I'm also planning on going to a couple more signings this weekend, so expect more exciting pictures!

Lifeblood by Tom Becker

Jonathan Starling has been spending a lot of time in Darkside—perhaps too much. When his werewolf friend Carnegie is asked to investigate a gruesome murder, Jonathan eagerly tags along. It turns out that this new murder may be the first clue in twelve years to the murder of James Arkel, grandson of Jack the Ripper. But as Jonathan and Carnegie start investigating and figuring out how certain Darksiders are connected to the Arkel murder, someone, or something, is trying to stop them. But Jonathan can’t, especially when it becomes apparent that his mother, who disappeared twelve years ago, may have been involved. Faced with all kinds of ghastly dangers, who knows if Jonathan will survive this stay in Darkside.

I really enjoyed Darkside, but I think I enjoyed its sequel, Lifeblood even more. Becker handles all the shifting points of view and different yet connected storylines well. It’s a pleasure to read along as Jonathan and Carnegie pursue the truth and new and interesting developments arise. I don’t know if this is possible, but Lifeblood seemed to have even more action than Darkside did. There’s some kind of danger on practically every page—and I loved it! It’s very easy to become lost in the alluringly deadly streets of Darkside and enthralled with all the quirky and devious characters readers will meet. I don’t think that Becker’s skill is fully appreciated by most readers. It’s not so easy to make everything connect just so as Becker does while also making things more exciting than in previous adventures. I was thoroughly pleased with Lifeblood, in the writing, plot, and characters, and cannot wait for the next installment in the series, Nighttrap.

Fans of Darkside will not want to miss Lifeblood, nor will those who enjoyed Foundling by D.M. Cornish, The Emerald Tablet by P.J. Hoover, and Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from publisher Scholastic

The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams

Evie mostly keeps to herself. She doesn’t have any real friends and can’t find it in herself to find some. There are mainly two things that Evie likes: her newspaper route and Jonah Luks. That’s why every Sunday, Evie takes her time on her route so that she can run into Jonah. But one Sunday is different from all the others because Jonah finds something in the woods—a body. It turns out to be Elizabeth McCabe, Evie’s childhood friend; she’s been brutally murdered. Evie is just as stunned as the next person, but that doesn’t explain why she lies and tells Zabet’s father that they were friends. This is the start of a strange relationship with Mr. McCabe and Hadley, Zabet’s best friend. Evie finds herself on a wild goose chase with Hadley after Zabet’s killer. Evie doesn’t really know what she’s doing anymore, but she does know Hadley’s erratic and paranoid behavior is sure to land the two in serious trouble.

The Space Between Trees is a murder mystery, but from a new angle. Evie isn’t closely connected to the person who was murdered but still finds herself involved with people who are. Her partnership with Hadley to find Zabet’s killer seemed to me a halfhearted one; Evie craves the companionship more than a desire for justice. This makes the actual investigation rather lackluster and story sometimes boring to read. I found it difficult to like Evie; she cares about very little and seems to not understand the meaning of friendship, and her awkwardness is not endearing at all. In the end, all I could really take away from this story was the futility of it all. Evie goes after Jonah, but gives up pretty easily when things go wrong; Hadley wants to find Zabet’s killer but fails miserably; and during all of this, Evie doesn’t change one bit. I was disappointed with The Space Between Trees because I really wanted to like this story, but unfortunately, I found this hard to accomplish.

The Space Between Trees may be enjoyed by readers who also liked Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin, Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser, and Death at Deacon Pond by E.M. Alexander.

Rating: 3.0

Review copy from Amazon Vine

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin

Avery Hood’s parents have been murdered, and she can’t remember what happened except for a flash of silver. It’s all she can do to pick up the pieces and try to make sense of her new life. When Avery meets the new boy at school, everything is different. She’s still dealing with the grief over her parents’ deaths, but now there’s a new distraction. But despite her intense attraction to Ben, there’s something about him, something silver in his eyes, that makes her doubt him. When other residents of the forest are found killed, it becomes more important than ever for Avery to recover her memories, even if she is afraid the killer is someone she knows.

Low Red Moon is a strange combination of paranormal mystery and something else mystical. This story just didn’t flow well for me. Devlin tries to weave together so many different parts of the story, such as Avery’s grief, her relationship with Ben, her desire to remember, and her relationship with her grandmother. Unfortunately, the transitions in between were not very smooth, especially at the beginning through the middle of the story. It took a while for me to get into the story, and by that time, I already started to figure out the outcome of the story. The thing that sat the least well for me, though, was Avery’s mystical connection to the forest. Devlin doesn’t explain its purpose well, so it seems more an accessory to the story than an important element. The action at the end of the novel was exciting to read, but overall, I wasn’t very taken with this story. Low Red Moon was not one of the better paranormal books I’ve read.

Low Red Moon may appeal to fans of Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and Death at Deacon Pond by E.M. Alexander.

Rating: 3.25

Review copy from Amazon Vine

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Like everyone else born after the Shift, Aura can see ghosts. It has always been more annoying than useful—that is, until Aura’s boyfriend Logan dies and comes back. Now, instead of embracing the color red, the one color that wards off ghosts, like all other post-Shifters, Aura avoids it like the plague. She wants to spend as much time with Logan’s ghost as possible because Logan dead is almost as real as Logan alive, and Aura needs him more than ever. But life goes on without Aura, and soon she realizes that she’s turning into a living ghost too. With the help of her friends, particularly Scottish exchange student Zachary, Aura may find the courage to move on and let go. But on the way, she’ll find out that she’s more connected to the Shift than she ever knew.

Shade is a unique twist on the ghost story. Instead of having just one person with the ability to see ghosts, everyone born after 3:50 a.m. on December 21, the Shift, saw ghosts. And when the amount of people who can see ghosts keeps growing each day, it becomes kind of hard to ignore that they exist for the rest of the general public. Thus, ghosts and those who can see them become a part of politics. Aura’s story mixes this with her own personal troubles. Sometimes it feels a little weird when Smith-Ready goes back and forth because, though they’re connected, they’re very different. I think I enjoyed reading the details and history of the Shift more than about Aura’s romantic woes because her refusal to let go of Logan was frankly annoying. This story had promise, especially with Aura’s quest to discover the origins of the Shift, but since this quest fell backseat to Logan’s death and the subsequent drama, I didn’t enjoy the story as much as I would have. I have hope, though, that a sequel will answer more of my questions.

Shade may be enjoyed by those who also liked Ruined by Paula Morris and A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell.

Rating: 3.5

Review copy from Amazon Vine

Win Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney

CONTEST CLOSED

Some vampires are good. Some are evil. Some are faking it to get girls. Awkward and allergic to the sun, sixteen-year-old Finbar Frame never gets the girl. But when he notices that all the female students at his school are obsessed with a vampire romance novel called Bloodthirsty, Finbar decides to boldly go where no sane guy has gone before--he becomes a vampire, minus the whole blood sucking part. With his brooding nature and weirdly pale skin, it's surprisingly easy for Finbar to pretend to be paranormal. But, when he meets the one girl who just might like him for who he really is, he discovers that his life as a pseudo-vampire is more complicated than he expected. This hilarious debut novel is for anyone who believes that sometimes even nice guys-without sharp teeth or sparkly skin—can get the girl.

(3) lucky winners will receive Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney and a Bloodthirsty iron-on badge.
courtesy of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers



Other details:

• US/Canada mailing addresses only—no PO boxes.
• Contest ends 10/14/10, at 6 p.m. EST. Winners must send me their mailing address by 10/15/10.

Remember, you must complete the form to be entered. If you have any questions about this contest, see my contest policy, or contact me and ask away.