Bookish Bethie

Moving!

2012-03-09T13:04:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!

I know it has been A LONG WHILE since y'all've heard from me.

I took a pretty massive break from the book blogging, and blogging in general, and that is why.

BUT. After my break, I made some blogging decision, one of which was to move blogs.

Though my new blog isn't strictly book-related, I'm such a bookish little thing that there is a LOT of chatter about books at the new site. And also about random crap I like. :)

I won't delete this blog, because I can't bear to think that all the content I wrote and created and put up here would just—POOF, be gone. So, this blog will hang out as is. Just in case you were wondering.

So, if you'd like to follow/subscribe/change links over to my new blog I would very much love to have you over there! The web address is: bethanyelarson.wordpress.com.

Hope to see you at the new place!

In Which I Explain My Blog Negligence

2011-12-21T11:38:00.001-05:00

So, back in September I started dating this guy.

This guy is great.

Things were going well. I was constantly shocked he kept calling me since I'm such a spaz and he's, well, not. But he did keep calling. This was a good sign.

Fast-forward to the week of Thanksgiving. He came over to my apartment and we were watching Castle (because Nathan Fillion is The Best.) and then said, "I have some news that's going to upset you." He then proceeded to tell me that he'd be moving to Singapore for a (kick-ass) new job. He'd be there for a year. He'd leave in January.

Now, sometimes I have this curious problem of overreacting. And y'all. I seriously overreacted. I turned into Bella Swan for about a week and a half. That lead to a lot of wallowing and not a lot of reading.*

Then after Thanksgiving, Boyfriend and I sat down and talked about everything and reached an agreement on how to proceed. (We are going to proceed, for those of you who were wondering.) But because he's leaving January 7th and I basically won't see him (with the exception of maybe two weeks when I take my vacation to go visit him.) for a year, I've been spending as much time as possible with him. Which means that I've been doing not a lot of reading and a lot of spending-time-with-Boyfriend.

But fear not! I love this here bloggy blog something fierce and I WILL return to it in 2012 when I will have beaucoups of time to read and blog and not be sad at all.

So! That's my story. Judge me as you see fit. Leave your judgment in comments if you so choose. And, above all, have a wonderful, fabulous, joyous, relaxing, delicious, merry, and bright holiday season!

*For the probably two of you who are curious about the status of my work-in-progress, it's still around. It's also be neglected due to my emotional derailment/realignment. But I'll start working on it again soon. Thank you for your concern. :)

Review: Between the Sea and Sky

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Between the Sea and Sky
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Pages: 240
Release Date: October 25, 2011
Format: ARC Tour by Good Choice Reading (Thank you!)

For as long as Esmerine can remember, she has longed to join her older sister, Dosinia, as a siren—the highest calling a mermaid can have. When Dosinia runs away to the mainland, Esmerine is sent to retrieve her. Using magic to transform her tail into legs, she makes her way unsteadily to the capital city. There she comes upon a friend she hasn't seen since childhood—a dashing young man named Alander, who belongs to a winged race of people. As Esmerine and Alander band together to search for Dosinia, they rekindle a friendship . . . and ignite the emotions for a love so great, it cannot be bound by sea, land, or air.—Goodreads

The problem with writing a book about mermaids is that the demographic of readers in YA is probably familiar with Disney's The Little Mermaid and will then, even if they try really hard not to, compare it to the beloved movie. As I picked up this book to read it I said, literally out loud, "I will not compare this to The Little Mermaid."

And then about halfway through I found myself thinking, "Esmerine is sort of a mix of Ariel and Belle." (And she really is.) I just couldn't help myself. But that aside, Between the Sea and Sky (btw, I adore the title) is a really sweet little love story.

However, I had a couple issues with the book. The first is that the main premise of the book—Esmerine leaves her water world to search for her sister Dosinia when she goes missing and Esmerine is JUST SURE she's been kidnapped by those evil, lustful human men—annoyed me. I couldn't understand why Esmerine never considered that Dosinia had run away (this isn't a spoiler, as it's in the description provided to Goodreads by Bloomsbury). It was just so obvious to me and I sort of wanted to slap some sense into Esmerine.

Then, and this is admittedly a small thing, I couldn't ever figure out what was going on with the time period. Sometimes the clothing and settings and even speech patterns used seemed very Renaissance, and then without any reason at all, it would switch to something akin to Jazz Age America. It probably shouldn't have been such a big deal, but I was seriously distracted by it.

In the end, the story is very sweet. If you love mermaids and quests for identity and run-away sisters and like books that are light on the sexytimes, you'll love this book.

Tune In Tuesday: Josh Ritter . . . Again

2011-11-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that I have a major crush on Josh Ritter's music. (And let's be honest, Josh Ritter.)

The other day I was in a very Ritter kind of mood and headspace while I was writing (I cannot write when in silence. Silence distracts me.) and "Naked as a Window," a song that I've heard probably a million times came on.

But for some reason, this time it seemed louder than all the other times. It's a short song—not even a minute and a half long. But it is gorgeous. It's simple and honest and heartbreaking, but heartwarming too.

It really did a number on me and I put the sucker on repeat for about two days. It's a quiet little thing and it slips under the radar pretty easily. I'm glad it decided to scream at me.

BTW, in this video, "Naked as a Window" is used as the intro song to "Girl in the War" another of my fave Ritter songs. :)

Happy Tuesday!

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks!

What I'm Writing: NaNoWriMo Week Three Update

2011-11-19T10:15:00.001-05:00

This week in the wonderful world of writing-frenzy, I'm struggling a little.

I'm a few thousand words behind word count. I mean, not to the point that it's going to be impossible to catch up, but still. I'm behind.

And it's all because I think I've written my poor little characters into a corner that I am not a fan of, and I'm not quite sure how to get them out of it without GOING BACK and REVISING which are kind of the only NaNo-NoNos.

So. That.

And the only other way I can see getting the out of this stupid, pointy corner is to change the ending I've conceived of all along.

I am loath to do that.

When I started this, I had a very specific vision of the ending. It was going to be spectacular and breathtaking and leave my eventual-readers going "Oh!" But not in a cliffhanger-way. This was going to be in a "I-can't-believe-she-did-that" kind of way. And I was all excited about it. The ending was what was really going to make this book different and leave every pub house IN THE WORLD clamoring to buy it up.*

And now I think I have to change it. Or go back and revise. Or something.

*headdesk*

So those are my writing woes for this week. Hopefully after going to brunch and getting day drunk and then seeing Breaking Dawn will give me some INSPIRATION. *grins*

And, for those of you who have any sort of interest in what my crazy draft-writing contains, here is your snippet for the week (Be warned! There are probs typos/word-choice issues. You may judge, just don't judge too harshly.):

As I turned to go to the register, I ran into aperson. I still had my headphones in, so I mumbled an apology without lookingup and kept making my way to the front of store. But I realized I wasn’t goingvery far since the person I ran into had grabbed my hand, which was highlyweird. With my free hand I yanked the headphones out of my ears and whippedaround, trying all the while to free my enslaved hand.

“Um,please let go of . . . ” my words trailed off as my brain recognized the personI was looking at. Then I picked up again with, “You’ve got to be fuckingkidding me.” If there was ever any doubt I was a New Yorker through andthrough, it was all lost with that exclamation.

©Bethany Larson, 2011

*I do not know if this is going to happen as I am not any sort of oracle or psychic. If I were, this whole writing a book endeavor would probably be MUCH EASIER.

TGIF: Giving Bookish Thanks

2011-11-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, today is the Friday before Thanksgiving. I would reflect on where the time has gone, but that sounds depressing so I will SKIP it. Instead, I will write far too much about the question the lovely, fabulous, wonderful Ginger at GReadsBooks has posed this week:

Giving Thanks: Which books are you most thankful for receiving from other bloggers, friends, family members, or publishers?

Where She Went is the first ARC I received from a publisher. It surprised me in the mail, about six weeks after I'd started this blog. I was FLOORED that I'd received it because I didn't request it (Hell, I didn't even know how to request an ARC at that point) and because there'd been SO MUCH buzz surrounding it. I'm still just shocked that I got this and thoroughly confused as to how it came to me. But I loooooooved it and am so so so glad and honored that I received an ARC.

I was the first of my friends to jump on the Harry Potter train, but not without a lot of prodding and a good bit of boredom. I received this book from my grandmother the week that it was first released in the U.S. I was eleven and in that period where I did not want to read anything with a cartoon of a boy on the cover. I don't even think I read the jacket copy. I just put it aside and continued to read my Magic Attic Club and Saddle Club and every other girly series that ended in "Club" books. But my grandma kept calling my mom and asking if I'd read the book yet. So, finally, after several conversations where my mom was like, "Bethany, just read the book so she'll stop asking." I sat down and read it. And I couldn't stop. When I finished it, I immediately re-read it. So, yay for my grandma and her book-picking skillz! :)

So, this one is sort of abstract in that my introduction to John Green didn't come in book-form. My super-awesome sister sent me an email one day that included this video with the message "OMG YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS." So I watched and was like, "HOLY SHIZZBALLS THIS IS THE BEST." So I started watching the Vlogbrothers videos from the beginning forward. I developed a huge huge huge crush on John Green and when I realized he writes books that are, you know, buyable I immediately sought out everything by him. And then I read the two books I could get my hands on at the time—Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines—in order of publication, so my first John Green book was LfA. And I fell in love. [I have a feeling I'll tell more of this story during John Green Week, so I'll go ahead and stop here.] But without my sister sending me that inaugural video, I probably would have never read these books.

I got Hourglass via my very first ARC tour, hosted by Heather at Fire and Ice (whom I am also thankful for for sending me The Name of the Star). From the first time I saw the stinkin' cover for Hourglass, I KNEW this was a book for me. I was SO excited to get in on the ARC tour, and couldn't wait until it showed up on my doorstep. Fittingly, it arrived while I was watching a Doctor Who marathon on BBC America. And it was literally love at first word for me. I was super sad that I had to send it to the next person because I wanted to keep the book and love it and pet it and kiss it and read it again. But! I couldn't do that and I wanted others to have the opportunity to read it as well.

And these days I have TWO copies of Hourglass. *ponders what to do with the extra copy*

Alright, so that is my very long-winded post. I could go on and on about this. And I should probably take a moment to give a HUMUNGOUS thank you to Miss Ginger for sending me not only her ARC of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, but for also buying me a copy of Sloppy Firsts (which I have yet to read. I KNOW, I'm on it.) and for just being an all-around awesome blogger and friend and person.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a fabulous Thanksgiving!

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Waiting on Wednesday: Dreamless

2011-11-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Dreamless (Starcrossed 2)

Author: Josephine Angelini
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 400
Release Date: May 29, 2012

As the only Scion that can enter Hades at will, Helen descends to the Underworld in search of a way to overcome the Furies and end the cycle of revenge that has cursed the Scions. But she’s running out of time. Each descent weakens her both in mind and spirit. A mysterious stranger might be her only salvation, but the price may be her love for Lucas Delos.

As an unforgettable love triangle emerges, Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding. The eagerly awaited sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed, Dreamless delivers with a huge emotional impact that will leave readers satisfied—and longing for more.—Goodreads

So, I saw Immortals this past weekend. While I had a grand ol' time watching the gore and the shirtlessness and Henry Cavill's awesome spear attacks and spin moves and The Chick who Played Athena's Buffy-inspired Fan Kicks of Doom, I found myself wanting something . . . else.

And I found myself thinking about Starcrossed, a book about demigods I read earlier this year. And then I remembered that there is to be a sequel! So I took my happy little self over to the Goodreads website and lo and behold there is a cover and a description and release date for the sequel, Dreamless.

And it's going to be all kinds of hellish with Miss Helen going off to Hades and chillin' with those kids. And apparently one of them is a mysterious stranger. Interest = peaked.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Reactionary Reading: Shatter Me

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the another edition of Reactionary Reading, a feature where I share my reading notes with all of y'all! This week I'm publishing my notes on Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, a book that I LOVED reading.

For those of you new to this feature, there are a couple THINGS you probably need to know about it. So, here's how it works:

I have gone through and redacted major spoiler information. (Yep, just like the government does.) If you've read the books, or if you don't care about being spoiled, feel free to highlight the redacted portions so you can read the text. (It's like a game! Sort of.) But there might still be minor spoilers involved. So if you're the type that hates knowing things before you read, DO NOT PROCEED. And please keep in mind that this is all in good fun and are just my thoughts and opinions. Also, bad language abounds.

So without further ado, may I present my notes on Shatter Me.

Half sleeves, dark hair, and blue eyes?! THIS IS MY DREAM GUY. RIGHT HERE. IN THIS BOOK.

I'm really diggin' the use of the strike through.

OMG and his name is Adam. Oh man. I hope he turns out to be a good guy and not a colossal asshole.

p. 23: "I realize for the first time that he's not wearing a shirt." HOW ARE YOU JUST NOW REALIZING THIS NAMELESS GIRL?!

p. 26: Lackadaisical! I LOVE the word lackadaisical! Also, the word ennui, which is the word right after lackadaisical. Holy Jesus, I love Tahereh Mafi.

This sentence is brilliant: "I hate the lackadaisical ennui of a sun too preoccupied with itself to notice the infinite hours we spend in its presence."

OMG Tahereh Mafi is 23! I am so wasting my life.

p. 41: "There are fifteen thousand feelings of disbelief hole-punched in my heart."

p. 48: ADAAAAAAAAM. Well. I still have hope.

p. 53: "There are wire cutters carving holes in my heart."

Chapter Eleven is effing heartbreaking.

p. 73: "I hope I disappoint Warner in every possible way." Get it girl.

Mafi has such a way with words. Her verbs! And metaphors! Good GOD this lady can write.

p. 121: I. Am. SOBBING.

p. 123: I love that all of her dresses have pockets. Pocket dresses are THE BEST.

p. 130-131: The evisceration of women who use child leases is INCREDIBLE.

I don't really know how I feel about No-First-Name Warner. I mean, obvs he's AWFUL, but there's also something else going on. Or maybe I'm getting Stockholm Syndrome from this book.

BTW: Adam. Still swooning over that one.

p. 141: "I want to cripple his cockiness with the palm of my hand." DOUBLE ENTENDRE FTW.

p. 148: Oh holy, yes.

p. 150: Oh hells bells. I bet Warner is going to deny that he gave Adam permission to dismantle the cameras/mics. Ohhh I'm so preemptively mad.

p. 156: "He squeezes me against his chest and I marvel at the power, the glory, the wonder in such a simple movement."

p. 159: Aaaaaand I'm crying again.

p. 171: Wait. She can break through walls?!

p. 174-176: YES PLEASE.

"My fingers are tugging at the them of his wet clothes and his eyes widen for only a second before he rips the material off himself. He grabs my hands and lifts my arms above my head and pins me against the wall, kissing me until I'm sure I'm dreaming, drinking in my lips with his lips and he tastes like rain and sweet musk and I'm about to explode." O_O

Ok, now that she's all with Adam, I'm now wary of him. I'm all kinds of concerned he's not as great as I think he is and that Warner was actually trying to save her from him. Or something. But that's obvs crazy right? RIGHT?!

p. 231: DEAR. GOD. The pants-melting.

p. 243: I love that she loves guns.

p. 266: ROAR.

p. 269: "He tastes like peppermint, smells like gardenias." HE'S A DUDE. DUDES SHOULDN'T SMELL THAT WAY.

p. 296: Ok. For some reason I'm just NOW starting to wonder why some people can touch her and others can't. When it was just Adam, I was like WHEEEE. And then when Warner could I was like, Well, ok, that sort of figures. BUT NOW. My brian is catching up or something because I'm like, "Wait. How does this work?!"

p. 302: WTF is going on?

The tonal shift has totally caught me off guard.

When's Warner gonna show up again? Because I'm pretty positive he is NOT dead.

But if he is, awesome. . . . although. He was such a good villain.

p. 314: So . . . we're now at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters?

p. 316: Awe, I love Brendan.

p. 338: "I offer Adam a blank stare. He grins, "Try it on." I stare differently."

Hmm. That book was a whirlwind of THINGS. MANY MANY THINGS.

What I'm Writing: NaNoWriMo Week Two Update

2011-11-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

This week has been hard for me. Not because the writing part of the equation was hard, but because the oh-so crippling self-doubt snuck into my brain and laid a whole bunch of evil eggs there.

This happens from time to time. I'll be chugging along on my work in progress (WIP) and I'll be feeling great about it and then, right as I'm really hitting my stride this supremely evil voice from somewhere in my brain whispers, "Why are you wasting your time? I mean, out of all those people who want agents and want to be published, why would anyone ever pick you out of a slush pile? Do you really think you are talented enough to have an agent be so impressed with your miserable little manuscript that they'll actually want to represent you? That they'll actually want to spend time and energy otherwise used on writers worth a damn on you?"

I won't lie to y'all, that stupid voice is staggering and crippling and makes me want to curl up in a ball and rock back and forth. It's really just the worst. And sometimes it's really hard to not listen to it. Because I think, "You know, Evil Voice, you are right. If I just give up now, I'll really benefit from not having to go through the sting of rejection letters and critiques and mean reviews. And! I'd have so much more free time! And I'd see my friends more often! And I could just sit and watch all those TV shows I want to watch! And I'd sleep more!"

This voice of self-doubt really hit me hard this week. I spent a lot of last weekend writing and really loving where my manuscript was headed and then BAM. There was The Evil Voice. It was so convincing that I actually took a couple days in the middle of the week away from my WIP thinking that if I walked away from it and didn't feel the need to go back to it, I wouldn't.

But of course I felt that pull. On Friday I woke up able to see an entire scene that had been giving me fits earlier in the week. I could hear dialogue, as if my characters had come to life and I was just listening to them have a conversation. (I've never claimed to be normal.) And if that weren't enough, a couple characters I actually had walked away from about a year ago started whispering to me too. (I missed them a whole bunch. I'm glad they're back.)

So, for me, what this all boils down to is this: Yes, I desperately (so, so desperately) want to be agented (I think I made that word up) and published. I've wanted to be published since I was seven-years-old, and that dream isn't going to go away. I want it so badly that it hurts. And sometimes I do this really unhealthy thing where I go into a bookstore and stare at the spot where my book would go on the shelf. Normally this makes me cry a little. And yes, obviously, I would love for this manuscript to be the one that gets me an agent and is sold to my dream pub house and sells lots o' copies and gives me piles o' monies.

But if this isn't the magic manuscript that gives me all of those things, I'll live. (I'll be sad, but it won't kill me. I don't think.) I have other stories rattling around in my brain and characters who want to be brought to the page. And most importantly, I'll keep trying. I'll keep writing and learning and honing and growing and hopefully one day (please let it be in the not-too-distant future) all of my publication dreams will come true. But if they don't . . .

If they don't I guess I'll just self-pub. ;)

TGIF: Love-Hate Relationships

2011-11-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY!

It's been a long week.

But! Now it's bright, shiny Friday and I have plans tonight with my Nigel friend whom I haven't seen in far too freaking long and I am EXCITED.

I'm also a big fan of Ginger's question o' the week. So let's to it, shall we?

Love-Hate Relationship: Which characters from a book do you love to hate?

See, this is weird for me because I tend to really like villains. I have this whole theory as to why and it's very involved and high-fallutin' because I used it as the basis of a paper I wrote during grad school, so I will not share it here. But it pretty much boils down to I really like villains because they are more interesting than heroes. (Debate me in comments if you wish.)

But now that I've written all of that it occurs to me that a character I love to hate doesn't have to be a villian. Ohhhh well. So, here's my list!

This is EXACTLY how I picture Mimi.

Mimi Force (Blue Bloods): Now this is a character that I started out despising with every fiber of my being, but who has really really grown on me. In fact, I might go so far as to say that she is my favorite character of this series (other than Oliver, obvs.). But! She does things and I'm like, "Dammit Mimi! Stop that!" But if she actually did stop that, there'd be no drama and therefore no story. So, carry on, Mimi.

Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter): Good God, do I love Draco. But, he was such a little douche in the first few books that it was impossible to not hate him. And then he grew up and I found him really compelling. Especially in the last couple books, I was constantly wondering about what he was up to and wanted a little more of his story. And I sort of wanted him and Hermione to hook up. I absolutely cannot explain that. But there it is.

Lydia Bennett (Pride and Prejudice): Lydia Bennett is The Worst. She's vapid and silly and idiotic. (SPOILERS ahead for those of you who haven't read P&P. BTW, you need to right that wrong RIGHT NOW.) But if there were no Lydia Bennett, then Elizabeth may well have run off with Wickham and DEAR GOD. So I love Lydia because she allowed for Darcy to shine. (And Oh, how he shone! *swoons*)

So there you have it! I hope y'all all have a wonderful weekend ahead of you. And if you're going to YALLFest, have a rockin' time and give big hugs to everyone you see for me. Also, I am super jealous of you to the point that you sicken me. But do not let that worry you. Enjoy your time anyway. While you're there, I will be . . . *runs to bookshelf to re-read my tattered copy of Pride and Prejudice for the thousandth time *

Review: Eve

2011-11-10T09:34:00.000-05:00

Title: Eve
Author: Anna Carey
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: October 4, 2011

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.—Goodreads

I'll be up front: Eve is bleak. Like, zombie apocalypse (and not in the funny way) bleak. There are hardly any people left. Cars and homes and buildings are just abandoned and falling apart. And if you're a smart and lovely eighteen-year-old orphan who has just realized that her future does not hold a great job, as she was led to believe, and you decide to run away from the only home you've ever known into the FREAKING WOODS to try and get to a utopian-sounding place that may or may not actually exist, all of this bleakness becomes even more bleak.

The world Carey creates in Eve is intense and terrifying in a very real way. She does a beautiful job of describing death and decay and straight-up hopelessness. And she also does a very intriguing job of imagining what education would be like in a world where the population is emaciated—read: girls are taught that men are terrifyingly carnal and awful by reading Romeo and Juliet. (That actually made me laugh a little because I'm not one who loves Romeo and Juliet.) So when Eve meets a boy—the oh-so chivalrous Caleb—who is nice to her, she is VERY DUBIOUS of him. And then he takes her to his Cave of Boys and she realizes that everything she was taught was a perversion of the truth.

From there, Eve becomes the Wendy to Caleb's group of Lost Boys. And just about the time that I was getting comfortable with the story and thinking that things would maybe end up being okay for everyone, THINGS BECAME NOT OKAY. And they stayed not okay.

By the end of Eve, my heart was broken into about three thousand pieces and I was so, so grateful for my family and friends and job and apartment and food and world. And I desperately wanted the next book in this trilogy, because it ends in a place of OMG WTF.

Although, I will say this—if this book was a stand-alone, I think I'd be weirdly ok with how it ends. But I'll stop talking about the ending of this book now and just tell you to go read it if you so choose. :)

Overall, Eve is a gorgeously devastating book. If you like a good dystopian read, definitely check this one out. And if you're not so much into dystopia but are willing to give it a shot because you are a person who likes good books and are open-minded enough to try anything, this might be the one to sway you in favor of the dystopian genre. But know this: this is not dystopian-light. It is straight up unhappy.

But you know what's not unhappy? CALEB. If nothing else, read the book for Caleb. *swoons*

Waiting on Wednesday: Timepiece

2011-11-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Timepiece
Author: Myra effing McEntire, y'all!
Publisher: Egmont USA
Release Date: June 12, 2012 (ROAR!!!!)

THIS IS THE SEQUEL TO HOURGLASS. IT IS GOING TO BE AWESOME. THERE IS NO OTHER POSSIBILITY.

Also, let's chat about this ARC cover. The photography is by Lissy Laricchia. If you ever find yourself bored and wanting to look at something pretty and whimsy and gorgeous, check out her website and her Flickr. It makes me wish that I was good at photography. And, you know, art. My super-incredible sister got those skillz instead of me.

ANYWAY. Timepiece is going to be magnificent. You should probably just go ahead and pre-order the book now. And if you haven't read Hourglass yet, GET ON THAT. And buy copies of it for everyone you know as presents for Christmas. Which is less than six weeks away. (Let that sink in for a second.)

Waiting on Wednesday is weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Tune In Tuesday: Milo Greene

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

So, about a week and a half ago, I went to see The Civil Wars in concert.

This was very exciting for me.

But what was more exciting was that I ended up TOTALLY SUPER-DIGGING their opening act, Milo Greene.

I had seen the name on the website when I bought my tickets for the show, but I didn't really take the time to look up who Milo Greene is or what his music sounds like. I figured if he's opening for The Civil Wars, he can't be bad.

Turns out, Milo Greene is a band and not a single person. And it also turns out that they are AWESOME. They all switch instruments and sing prettily and they're all really attractive and sometimes there is a BANJO. Y'all know how I feel about banjos. AND they did a crazy-amazing cover of "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens and I just about died.

They don't have their music on iTunes (I assume because they don't want to pay Apple the 30% of their profits, which I wouldn't either, so more power to them) and there aren't a ton of YouTube videos yet, but here is what I found:

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://milogreene.bandcamp.com/track/silent-way"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Silent Way by Milo Greene&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
And, if you visit their website you can hear four of their songs. But pretty much the only place to get all of their stuff is LIVE. Which is sort of genius. They're on tour with The Civil Wars through the end of this year, so if you can get tickets at a show near you, I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it.

Tune in Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Review: Gossip Girl, Psycho Killer

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: Gossip Girl, Psycho Killer
Author: Cecily von Ziegesar
Publisher: Poppy
Release Date: October 3, 2011

Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I live, go to school, play, and sleep-sometimes with each other. It's a luxe life, but someone's got to live it . . . until they die.

So begins Gossip Girl, Psycho Killer, a re-imagined and expanded slasher edition of the first groundbreaking Gossip Girl novel, featuring all new grisly scenes and over-the-top—Goodreads

Alright, I'll be honest—I've never read the Gossip Girl books. I watched the first couple seasons of the TV show until I couldn't stand it any longer—which was around season three or four, I think. Whenever it was that Hilary Duff joined the cast. NOT that I have anything against Hilary Duff—actually, I quite like her—but for some reason I just got really uninterested in the story lines at that point.

ANYWAY. That's all to say that when I heard about Gossip Girl, Pyscho Killer I was very, very excited about it. I thought the idea of it was brilliant and very American Psycho (which I adore), and I just knew that the characters in Gossip Girl—which I always assumed was more of a satirical comment on how the kids of the wealthy live anyway—would be quite convincing as serial killers.

Ok, for those of you who have read the Gossip Girl books, here's what you should know: this is more of a mash-up (à la Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) than it is a new book. In fact, Cecily von Ziegesar actually re-wrote the first book. Since I've never read them, I don't actually know how much of the text matches the first, but what I can tell you is this—Gossip Girl, Psycho Killer is delightfully rompy.

Sometimes it's a little over the top, and the ways in which von Ziegesar decides to kill people can be a little, well, gross, but most of the time it's really funny and biting in its wit and evaluation of the 1% (as we're apparently calling the crazy-wealthy these days).

So, if you're a little like me in that you enjoy ridiculously gory blood-lust every now and again, and you don't mind your serial killers wearing designer labels and using weapons like swords from the Met to exact their slightly detached vengeance, then you will greatly enjoy this.

I'd also recommend this book for people who REALLY DISLIKE Gossip Girl. Since, you know, the characters all hate each other too and decide that they need to slaughter each other in magnificently evil ways. It really is very death-heavy. A LOT of characters die. Including a couple major characters. *grins wickedly*

What I'm Writing: NaNoWriMo Week One Update

2011-11-05T08:30:00.002-04:00

Howdy!

So this week in NaNoWriMo has been quite illuminating for me as a writer. Namely in that I didn't realize most writers write without going back and looking at what they've written.* This BOGGLED my mind. Maybe it's because I'm paid to be an editor. Maybe it's because I find it fun to edit, because that's when things really start to take shape and the words start to sing. Or maybe it's because I'm the slowest writer in the world. Which is something I have learned this week. But I think mostly what I've learned is that I have to make time to write everyday.

Now, normally I do this anyway. During my lunch break, when I find myself with a couple minutes of nothing to do at work, when I get home and have an hour to kill before plans/TV/cooking/cleaning/etc. But when you really sit down and say to yourself, "Today I must write 2,000 words or I will miss a deadline," that's really when things start to happen. (I have a Master's of Journalism. Deadlines are a big deal to me. I mean, they have the word dead in them for a reason, right?) And you know what? I'm SO EXCITED about where things have headed in my horribly working-titled Airport Book.

Things I Have Learned This Week:

I am a slow writer. I edit as I go. I check for continuity. I weigh my words and reconsider scenes and re-read what I've written just to make sure that it's JUST RIGHT before moving on. Which brings me to the fact that I . . .
Write in sequence. When I started Airport Book, I wrote the beginning and the end, and then outlined the rest. So I know exactly what happens, every step of the way. And while sometimes when I'm writing a scene, I suddenly think "Wow, I'm in not in the mood to write something flirty. I kind of want to write an argument." I don't do it. Because it's not what happens next. I do make a note of the things I'd have my characters say to each other, or what emotions they'd be feeling, but then I dive right back into the flirty scene I was loathe to write thirty seconds earlier. I don't really know why I do this, but I do know that writing out-of-sequence kind of makes me want to die. So. THAT.
It's ok to be unsure of my words. Both Veronica Roth and Maureen Johnson wrote really great blog posts about this that really spoke to me. They talked about the importance of just getting the damn words on the paper and not worrying about minute details like if the word I just used is actually a word or if I called the character by the wrong name. Because those things can be easily fixed LATER. Never have I once ever ever ever thought about writing in this way. But you know what? I've started to do it (I was unsure of a minor character's name and, I swear to God, I wrote That Dude Whose Name I Can't Remember) and it's REALLY LIBERATING. *grins*

Alright! So now I'm stealing an idea from author extraordinaire and fellow WriMo, Jeri Smith-Ready, and giving y'all a little snippet of the words that have happened this week. (Yes, this does mean I violated the DON'T GO BACK rule, but. I love y'all and want you to stay around. And I had to go back to find something to show you.)

So, this little snippet of (WARNING: UNEDITED.) dialogue is between Willa and her friend Ana and they're talking about the fact that Willa and Dan are considering the possibility of trying to have a long-distance relationship.

“What do you mean?” I asked, suddenlyuncomfortable. I realized I was fidgeting by pulling the grass around me. Iwasn’t sure if I could be fined for that—after all, Central Park is a nationalpark and defacing it is a crime—so I willed myself to stop uprooting the poorgrass and then sat on my hands for good measure.

“Letme spell it out for you. You live in New York. He lives in Dallas. I understandthat this is the age of the Internet and video chatting and such, but, girl,you’re gonna need something tangible every now and then.”

Ihadn’t really thought of it that way. I mean, obviously I realize that beingsomeone’s girlfriend typically involves kissing (and more-than-kissing), and,yes I did enjoy the touching business at the airport when I last saw Dan. Butit’s not like I was sitting in New York fantasizing about what Dan and I wouldbe doing if we were in the same place.

Well.Not a lot, at least.

“Yeah,but Dan and I do see each other once a month,” I pointed out.

“For,like, thirty minutes,” Ana said flatly. I hated her right then.

“Butthat’s better than nothing!”

“Willa,I get it. I understand that you and Dan have this massive thing for each otherand I approve of you pursuing it. But I also think you need to be realistic.You both have needs and while talking on the phone and Skyping are both verynice modern conveniences, thirty minutes in a very public place once a monthisn’t going to be enough at some point.”

Ihated how right she was.

“Wellit’s going to have to be enough. And besides, it’s not like Dan and I havealways had a physical relationship. We’re more evolved than that.” I realizedexactly how elitist that sounded, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to be right.This was my relationship, not Ana’s. She didn’t—couldn’t—understand it. And,sure, all of the making out and giving each other chills from a touch and handholding in public is nice, but it’s not essential. Besides, all of those peoplefrom, like, the Dark Ages to the 1950s were able to suppress their PDA-urges,so why couldn’t I?

“We’llsee exactly how evolved you are in two months when you’re practically humpingevery boy who walks by you,” Ana said drily before adding, “Do my shoulderslook like they’re burning?”

©Bethany Larson, 2011.

*When I say most, I mean the ones who have written blog posts about writing without going back to edit/perfect until AFTER the book is done.

Tune In Tuesday: Silver Swans

2011-11-01T08:51:00.000-04:00

Happy November everyone!

I considered being an uber-dork and trying to find a song that is November-centric for this Tune In Tuesday . . . but then decided I shouldn't do that.

Instead! I'm going to give you a song I discovered while watching Revenge last week. Now, if you're not watching Revenge, you really should be because 1) 'tis awesome and 2) I recap it for Off-Color TV.

Anyway! The song is actually a cover of "Anyone's Ghost" by The National, who is one of my favorite bands. When the song started in the episode, I immediately perked up and was like, "I KNOW THIS SONG. BUT NOT LIKE THIS." And then I took to the YouTubes and found it and have basically been listening to it on repeat ever since.

So here 'tis! The Silver Swans' version of "Anyone's Ghost."

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Gearing Up for NaNoWriMo!

2011-10-31T08:18:00.003-04:00

Hiiiii!

As some of you may know, I'm writing a BOOK. (Have I mentioned this once or twice? Maybe?) And the thing about writing books is that it takes a lot of freaking time. And effort. And brain power. And typing. And backspacing. And re-typing. And sighing. And procrastinating. And freaking out. Repeat.

You know, those things.

I've been trapped in the backspacing-retyping-sighing-procrasting-freaking out circle for about three weeks, which is entirely too long. Luckily, there is a lovely month called NOVEMBER. Some lovely people dubbed it National Novel Writing Month, which was very lovely of them indeed. So starting tonight at midnight, I will be NaNoWriMo-ing in hopes that I finish my freaking book.

I already have around 25,000 words written, so my goal is to finish the next 50,000 during this month. That has me writing a little over 1,600 words a day. Which is actually pretty doable as long as I stay on top of it. Now, the only crappy thing about this is that there is this kind of big deal holiday toward the end of November. So I really need to take that into account. (Although, I don't know if I'll be w/ the fam in Arkansas or not. If not, I won't have as much to worry about because I can just sit at home watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade [and then the Dog Show] and typing and typing and typing whilst eating an entire pumpkin pie. By myself.)

ANYWAY. I'm going to do my best to blog AND NaNoWriMo AND review TV shows AND have some semblance of a social life. We'll see how that goes. (My best guess? NOT WELL.)

But I'll definitely give you guys updates about my NaNoWriMo-ing throughout the month. If you'd like to follow my progress, my username on NaNoWriMo is bethanyelarson. If you're interested in joining NaNoWriMo, click here. And if you're interested in donating to the organization, click here.

Hooray NaNoWriMo!

Aaaaaaand! Happy Halloween!

TGIF: Spooktacular Reads

2011-10-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

*sneaks in* Boo!

Ok, I know. You may all insert an eyeroll. But I had to!

This week the incredibly lovely Ginger at GReadsBook has asked:

Spooktacular Reads: Which books do you consider festive Halloween reads? Which stories have chilled you to the bone?

Oh this is gonna be long-winded! I tend to like books that are pretty dark and have a high creep/WTF-factor. But, I'm not necessarily into horror books. Because they give me nightmares. If you want straight up horror, check out Midnyte Reader. Anyway, I've divided my picks up a bit. Here's my recent list:

No one who knows me will be surprised by this, but Maureen Johnson's (LOVE HER) The Name of the Star is a really great ghost story.

The most haunting book I've read so far this year has to be Fury by Elizabeth Miles. It's not necessarily scary, but GEEZ does it have some creepy moments.

The book with the most HOLY WTF?! is hands-down The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by the super-fab Michelle Hodkin.

If you'd like a series to dive into, then definitely Kimberly Derting's The Body Finder.

Also, ANYTHING by Neil Gaiman. He's a bad-ass.

And now for the kickin' it old school list!:

Be warned! Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is quite sad in addition to being creepy.

Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (I work down the street from Sleepy Hollow and am going on the Sleepy Hollow cemetery lantern tour TONIGHT!!!!!)

Bram Stoker's Dracula. Duh.

Y'all, there are so many great book with high creep factors. SO. MANY. I'm sure I've left gaping holes in this list and y'all who are well-versed in horror are laughing at me, but . . . I tried.

Now I have a question for y'all. Have any of you read The Hollow series by Jessica Verday? It's been on my radar for a bit, but I can't find the damn books anywhere and I don't like buying books I haven't already read. So! If any of you can definitely tell me that they're worth the monies, I will buy them. :)

Happy Halloween!

Review: Saving June

2011-10-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Saving June
Author: Hannah Harrington
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: November 22, 2011

When her older sister commits suicide and her divorcing parents decide to divide the ashes, Harper Scott takes her sister's urn to the one place June always wanted to go: California. On the road with her best friend, plus an intriguing guy with a mysterious connection to June, Harper discovers truths about her sister, herself and life.—Goodreads

This is a book I probably never would have read. I shy away from death books. I don't necessarily have an issue with death, I just don't like to surround myself with lots of death-type things. Ok, that's not true since I watch A LOT of really gory, death-related television. Maybe it's because when I read, I want to have a good time. That sounds silly, I know, but I honestly don't normally read books that are forthcoming in their being about (let's be honest: non-supernatural) death.

So what changed my mind? The Twitterverse EXPLODED with nothing but praise and love and YOU-MUST-READ-THIS. And because I don't like to be left out, I decided to give it a shot.

Verdict: the Twitterverse was right.

Hannah Harrington's debut novel, Saving June, is great. And while it's about death, it's more about coming to grips with things out of your control than it is about, you know, death. In a lot of ways, it's a coming of age book. It's also a ROAD TRIP novel, and y'all know how I feel about those.

So while I was basically hard-wired to like this book, there were a couple things that really endeared it to me. First are the CRAZY amount of Tom Waits references. (Harrington! We need to HANG OUT!) Because this is a road trip novel, there is the requisite amount of music in this book. And the music selections are (in the words of Ferris Bueller) choice. A mix of indie and classic rock and heavy metal and country and guilty pleasures. It's perfect.

Then there's Laney, the best friend of Harper, the main character with the awesomesauce name. Now, Harper is pretty great (though completely lost) in her own right, but for some reason I really, really latched on to Laney. I felt for the girl, who's dealing with the loss of June herself, but also in the midst of some really heavy stuff of her own. And though she allows her focus on being a loyal friend to Harper to be an excuse to NOT deal with her shit, I still really adored her. I wanted to give her a giant hug and bake her cookies and then adopt her as my little sister. (Not that my little sister needs to be replaced. Au contraire actuellement. My lil' sis is THE BEST.)

Ok, so there's another component to this book that can't be ignored: Jake. Jake is Saving June's resident mysterious music snob who was connected to June in a way that no one but he understands. And, really, he's the key to the entire book. He's the one who offers to drive Harper and Laney and June's ashes to California. And he's one of those guys who is frustratingly perfect—good looking, but dangerous; smart, but reckless with his education; easy to open up to, but impossible to get to open up. You know, that guy. But y'all. The slow burn of it all is SO worth it.

Overall, Saving June is both everything and nothing that you expect. Yes, there are shenanigans. Yes, there are meltdowns.Yes, there's growth. But it's also highly comedic and surprising and warm and honest. I'm very glad that I listened to Twitter and gave this book a shot. If you're smart, you will too.

But don't take my word for it! Check out these other reviews:
Ginger at GReadsBooks
Carla at The Crooked Shelf
Tara at Fiction Folio
Anna at Anna Reads

Waiting on Wednesday: The Future of Us

2011-10-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Title: The Future of Us
Authors: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: November 21, 2011

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet.

Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM.

Josh is her best friend. They power up and log on—and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future.

Everybody wonders what their Destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.—Goodreads

I don't know how, but this book has totally flown under the radar for me. I KNOW that I've seen the title, but I never realized what it was about. I think maybe I thought it was something else I wasn't interested in? I don't know. But what I mean is this: THIS BOOK SOUNDS AWESOME.

Seriously, who hasn't thought about what it'd be like to be able to go back and talk to your younger self? Even if you're the kind of person who wouldn't want to change the outcome or any of the mistakes you've made, it'd still be incredible to let your younger know that everything will be ok, or that they should probs study a little bit harder for that one test, or go to that party instead of studying.

Anyway. I'm in love with the premise of this book. And I'm sort of glad that I'm hearing about it late so that I don't have all that long to wait for it.

Review: Shatter Me

2011-10-24T18:28:00.002-04:00

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 342
Release Date: November 15, 2011
Format: ARC Tour from the lovely Tara at Fiction Folio

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.—Goodreads

Reader-Bethany's Reaction to Shatter Me
This book is crazy-good. Everyone should read it. Like, you should be at your favorite bookstore when it opens on the morning of November 15th and you should RUSH into the bookstore and buy all the copies so you can give them to people as presents. You and yours will thank me for telling you to do so.

You should follow the above advice for these reasons:

Tahereh Mafi is a very, very gifted writer. Her verbs and metaphors are gorgeous and creative and curious and gut-wrenching. Instead of telling you how her characters feel, she forces you to feel it right along with them. She also employs the use of the strikethrough better than any way I've ever seen it used. It's inspired, really.
The story is wonderful. I described it to a friend as a dystopian X-Men.*
The world building is really cool, but subtle. Which is nice.
ADAM. Oh holy bazoo, Adam.

(Related: I have a bit of a thing for Warner, who is presented as the villain. Like, a weird Stockholm Syndrome thing for him. But, then again, I tend to over-sympathize with villains. However, I'm not sure if I think he truly is a villain. DO YOU SEE WHAT THIS BOOK HAS DONE TO ME?!)

The characters are so well-crafted and Mafi allows them to evolve.
Juliette is real damn kick-ass too.
It's just really frackin' great. Entertaining and intense and emotional and unforgettable.

*This would be an AWESOME comic book. If a comic pub house hasn't already picked this up, they seriously need to. IMHO, I think Dark Horse would do a bang-up job of adapting it.

Writer-Bethany's Reaction to Shatter Me
This book shook me.

Reading this has made me think differently about how I write. The way that Mafi uses her words is completely different from anything I've ever read. She takes words that I would never, ever, ever think to put beside each other in a sentence, lines them up, and forces you think about those words in a different way. It's truly masterful.

And then there's the way Mafi uses verbs. Her verbs are violent and inventive and magnificently gory. (e.g., "There are wire cutters carvingholes in my heart.") I was fawning all over myself and bouncing up and down and calling random people to read them sentences from this book because of the verb usage. SRSLY.

If I'm being completely honest, Shatter Me is the first book I've read in a long time where I've thought "I want to write LIKE THAT." And I'm sure that this book will inspire many young or aspiring writers to think the same thing. Mafi's voice is fresh and evocative and so, so, so inventive that I wish I could adopt it. But that would be weird and forced and disingenuous. So I won't.

But! What I can do is re-examine the way I write. Mafi's writing has made me look at my own and think "How can I make these words really come alive? And how can I make my reader feel what my character is feeling? And, ok, this section here is a little dry, which words can I use to shock my readers and keep them attentive?"

But let's be clear here—I'm not modeling my writing on Mrs. Mafi's. Her voice is hers and I will never write the way she does. But reading Shatter Me has definitely made me think about it differently, and, I'd like to think it's made both my writing and editing skills sharper and more attentive. Because, y'all, it's really easy to be lazy about your words or to find crutch words that feel natural, and then employ them over and over again. That's not fun. Mafi has fun with her words. She splashes around with them like a little kid. It's refreshing and eye-opening and jealous-making and OH-MY-GOD SOOO YUMMY.

In sum, this book is fantastic. Not only will it captivate you and keep you enthralled from page one on, it'll keep you guessing and laughing and crying. It will have make your heart bleed and break and pound right along with the characters'. But, you know, in a good way. For me, Shatter Me was more than a book—it was a watershed moment as both a reader and writer. Maybe it will be for you too.

What I'm Writing {5}: Screenwriting and Sociopaths

2011-10-22T10:44:00.004-04:00

Well, hello there.

This week I'm writing my life away, butworking on a bit of a new project. (Meaning, I'm sort of stuck withAirport Book and not sure how to proceed, so I just started a differentproject. Because that makes sense?)

Anyway, I'm trying my hand atscreenwriting. I'm a big TV junkie and like to think that I write visually. Alot of times when I'm writing, I think of what the scene would look like on ascreen, or what kind of shots might be used if it were being filmed.

There are also a couple really cool,but really competitive screenwriting programs for new, inexperienced, aspiringtelevision writers that I might submit to next year if I think my stuff isup-to-snuff. WE SHALL SEE.

Anyway, the format of screenwriting isfar more rigid than for writing books. And! I think it's incredible just how incontrol of things the writers actually are. They write in directions for theactors, camera shots, transition shots, scene setting—everything really.Screenwriters have to know every aspect of the filming, directing, and actingprocess. It's a little . . . intimidating, actually. (If you want a greatexample, check out the pilot for The Vampire Diaries. It's INCREDIBLY detailed.)

Anyway, so my idea for a TV show is areally dark dramedy about a cheerleader who is a sociopath, but is doing herbest to suppress her urge to kill everyone around her. It's creepy. It's fun.It's a really good way to take out my stress. If you're interested in my crackat an opening scene, check it out, after the jump.

INT. CLAIRE’S BEDROOM — LATE NIGHT

Room is dark. See back of CLAIRE TRANTHAM—16, blonde, pretty, petite—sitting in front of computer. Can hear her typing. Only light is from the computer screen.

CLAIRE (V.O.)

Today would have been Kill 78. This one was harder to resist than most. I came really close to going through with it. I really don't know why I stopped. I probably shouldn't have.

FLASHBACK to JACKSON WATERS,—16, attractive, muscular, All-American—and Claire, both in underwear, making out on bed in Jackson's room. Claire is on top of him. While making out with Jackson, Claire starts choking him.

CLAIRE (V.O.) (CON’T)

It was one of my most vivid fantasies come to life. He was so vulnerable. His fear was delicious.

FLASHBACK to JACKSON and CLAIRE. She’s still choking him. His eyes are bulging, he’s trying to breathe. Just as you think he’s going to lose consciousness, Claire loosens her grip around his neck. Jackson gasps for air and roughly pushes Claire off of him. We can see that they are fighting, but can't hear what they're saying. Fades back to Claire typing.

CLAIRE (V.O.)

So why did I stop? I want my first to mean something. The first should deserve the privilege of being my first. He definitely doesn't deserve it. But now I have a problem. He knows what I'm capable of. And he's the type to tell. I guess I'll have to put an end to that—to him. Soon. Wish me luck.

Claire clicks “Post.” Posts to blog titled “Confessions of a Teenage Sociopath.” Has hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

So that's it! If you feel so inclined,let me know what you think, in comments. I hope you're all having a fantasticSaturday!

Life Update

2011-10-21T09:41:00.002-04:00

Hey y'all! (Please pretend I sound just like Tami Taylor when I say that. Thanks.)

So, if you scroll down this here bloggy blog, it's plain to see that I've been a bit, um, negligent with the posting.

I hate this right now. But, there are a couple good reasons as to why. (I promise the reasons aren't OMG-I-MET-THIS-GUY. If they were, I'd give you all permission to come to New York and kick me and steal all my books.)

Mostly, it's one reason—I'm trying to figure out what the eff I want to do with my life.*

You see, I work in non-fiction publishing at a really, really small publishing house where I edit children's non-fiction for the school and library market. I really like my job (Really.), but it's becoming very clear that I don't really have much of a future here in the way of advancement. This isn't because I'm not a good employee or whatever but more because of gross business stuff and the sort of uncertain state of publishing today.

So, I know some of you are like, "Ok, so start applying to other jobs." And while I agree with you on this, it's not that easy. My current dilemma is this: do I want to stay in New York?

Ok, now some of you are thinking, "OMG are you completely insane?! OF COURSE you want to stay in New York. It's mother-effing NEW YORK." And I hear you. New York is fantastic and I feel so, so lucky to live and work here. But, I don't want to live here forever. And I don't even know if I want to stay in the editorial side of publishing. And it's really expensive to live here and I don't make a ton of money as it is and there's NO WAY I could quit my job and write full-time and get a part-time gig to cover the bills without making myself sick with worry and concern over monies.

(This is getting long-winded. I have a point. I'm getting close to it. PROMISE.)

Because, you see, I'm one of those crazy writer types. I have all of these stories and characters in my head and I just want to get them on paper. And then I want people to read them and love them and not criticize them. ;) So! To that end, I've been writing like the crazy-writer lady I am. Like, I've been telling my IRL friends that I can't go out because I need to sit in my house and write.**

Because of this, I've been reading less and writing blog posts less since all my energy outside of work is put into my works-in-progress (WIPs) because my lease is up in June, and I'd really like to have some of my WIPs finished, and, you know, a plan in action by March.

But! None of that excuses my blog negligence. I need to do better. So I am charging all of YOU in helping me with this. Take to the Twitters and yell at me. Email me your verbal ninja-kicking. I mean it. And I promise I won't yell back at you. Well. If do yell or get testy, I'll apologize at some point. :)

Alright, so that's my story morning-glories. I miss y'all. I miss my blog. But I also need to figure my shit out. But! All things in moderation, right? RIGHT.

*Meaning, I know I want to write, but I need to figure out what I want to write.
**I seriously have five books and a television pilot outlined. Three of the books and the spec pilot have been started.

Tune In Tuesday: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't know, I basically worship at a shrine of Joss Whedon. It's more of a metaphorical shrine than a physical one, because a physical one would be highly creepy. Anyway, the take-away here is that I think Whedon is brilliant and awesome and witty and incredible.

And in addition to writing very on-the-nose and intelligent dialogue for TV/film, he also sometimes writes music. And then employs his actor-friends to sing it.

Which brings us to Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. It's GREAT. Here are some songs from it.

"Freeze Ray," Neil Patrick Harris

"A Man's Gotta Do," Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day

"My Eyes," Neil Patrick Harris and Felicia Day

"So They Say," Ensemble Cast

It's pretty much one of my favorite things ever. If you've never seen it, it's only 45 minutes, and it is streaming on Netflix. Or you could buy it on Amazon/iTunes. And you should. Because it's worth it.

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Reactionary Reading: Paranormalcy

2011-10-17T08:35:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the another edition of Reactionary Reading, a feature where I share my reading notes with all of y'all! This week I'm publishing my notes on Paranormalcy by the adorable on Twitter Kiersten White, a book that I did not really like at first, but that really, really grew on me while reading it.

For those of you new to this feature, there are a couple THINGS you probably need to know about it. So, here's how it works:

So without further ado, may I present my notes on Paranormalcy.

p. 2: Tasey. :)

p. 10: "Paranormal drama didn't have nearly as much kissing." LOL.

p. 18: Ooooh French werewolf. Mais, oui.

I'm not sure what's going on with Fehl and Reth. But I think I like it.

p. 66: Mysteriously dead vampires! Oh boy.

I kind of dig the loneliness aspect White is workin' here with little miss Evie. It's making me like her more.

p. 72: Haha. Lend turning into the guy from Easton Heights = Adorbs.

. . . I'm guessing Evie always being cold is a clue of some sort . . .

These faeries remind me of the blood elves in World of Warcraft . . .

Hmm . . . what could Evie be. Time for theories! (BTW, you really should click that link.)

She likes color.
She is always cold, so she probs is from somewhere super warm.
She's majorly susceptible to faeries and their warmth affects her differently than it does Raquel (so, maybe humans in general?)
She can see through glamours. That's a big one.
Her eyes have basically no color.

Perhaps she is a were-unicorn. Of the Lisa Frank variety.
Or some sort of demi-god.
It'd be cool if she were on oracle. Has someone written a book about oracles yet? That needs to happen. I CALL DIBS.
I don't really want her to be an angel. Or an alien. But the latter is def a possibility.

p. 101: "I brought him all these sharp pencils, ideal for stabbing, and he's been a perfect gentleman."

p. 115: I LOVE that she sprained her ankle dancing around in her room. Hilarious.

I think Evie needs to try and befriend Fehl. If it's even possible to befriend a faerie.

p. 132: OH NO, FRENCHIE WOLFIE!

p. 149: OMG, does she have a creepy/evil (twin) sister? That'd be fun!

p. 173: OH NO. This is getting . . . sad.

p. 193: Well, hello there David. I have a feeling you're going to be a wealth of expository information.

p. 202: HAI VIVIAN.
"We share a soul now, so I thought I"d drop in, introduce myself properly." Well, ain't that courteous.

Are they energy vampires?!

p. 223: “I can stay?!” Awe, Evie. She sort of breaks myheart a little.

p. 232: Hahahaha Canada.

p. 239: “Why on earth would a vampire go to high school?”Teehee.

I am amazed at how much this story has grown on me in the second hundred pages!

p. 269: You know, I really like that David insists Evie and Lend to keep the bedroom doors open. I was never even allowed to have boys in my room when I was a teenager!

What if Evie and Vivian are two halves of the same person? HMM. I don't think that really makes sense, but it would be kind of cool.

But they are the Empty Ones. And Vivian has talked about taking souls. So do they have to kill people to get their souls to be fulfilled?

p. 275: Oh yep. That's exactly what's going on. Huzzah for me!

OH NO. Is Evie taking Lend's soul without meaning to?!

Hmm. What if Evie is the opposite of Vivian?

p. 296: I find it interesting that we're just now learning that Evie doesn't know her full name.

p. 303: All right, prom time. I'm pretty sure Reth will show up. Because crazy shit ALWAYS goes down at prom.

p. 307: "I pulled the lipstick out of my bra. Being flat had its advantages in added storage space." BAHAHAHA. But, word.

p. 308: Oh hai, Reth. I love it when I'm right.

By the end of this book, I had made a huge jump from I-don't-think-this-is-for-me to OMG-THIS-IS-FUN. I was very, very in love with Evie and Lend and Kiersten upon closing the back cover of this book. I'm very excited to pick up Supernaturally soon!

Tune In Tuesday: (500) Days of Summer

2011-10-11T08:56:00.000-04:00

'ello lovelies!

So, I missed the first week of this oh-so awesome Soundtrack Edition because I was off in my hermity corner of the world WRITING like a crazy mad lady so that I can have my booky-wook finished by the end of the year. (The goal is before Christmas. Hopefully this will REALLY happen.)

SO! Music! One of my most recent (meaning in the last couple years) soundtrack obsessions is one that I'm pretty sure is fairly popular—all of the music from (500) Days of Summer.

If for some reason you have never seen this movie, FIX IT IMMEDIATELY. It's sort of a hipster homage to Annie Hall, but it stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, both of whom are adorable and I desperately want to hug. Also: the music is pretty twee, but still great. Here is a sampling of it.

"Sweet Disposition"—The Temper Trap

"She's Got You High"—Mumm-Ra

"Vagabond"—Wolfmother

"Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want"—The Smiths

So there it is! My very twee, sort of angsty, but really great pick for this week's Tune In Tuesday, Soundtrack Edition! *crowd cheer, confetti canons explode.* Have a GREAT Tuesday!

Oh! And if you are on Tumblr, I am now tooooooo! You can find me here.

What I'm Writing {4}: Anger, Overreactions, and Metaphors

2011-10-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hiiiiiiii.

So, I've been a little MIA (as in gone, not as in the rapper) lately because 1) my life suddenly got busy and 2) Farrah, an Internet friend of mine and fellow book blogger signed a contract with a literary agent and I am jealous (and also super, super proud of and pumped for her) and I want an agent and now I am competitively motivated to have what she has. So I've been writing a ton so that I can have this sucker finished and then start querying like a crazy mad lady.

So on the writing front: what I have discovered lately is that I love irreverent, bizarre metaphors and imagery—stuff that is jarring and a little subversive and perhaps kind of violent and not at all what you expected to read, but that still somehow makes sense. So, I've been trying my hand at writing them. And let me tell you, they are NOT my forte. I'm far more comfortable writing dialogue and descriptions rather than metaphorical, figurative stuff. But! I need to make myself uncomfortable so that I can grow, right? RIGHT.

So, now comes the scary part: letting the Internet read the (maybe horrible) stuff I've come up with. But, I need to know if it's horrible or horribly clichéd or horribly-awesome, in the Doctor Horrible kind of way. (Also, if you've never seen Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, GO! GO NOW! To the Netflix and FIND IT. It's streaming. You're welcome.)

Ok, let me set up the scene for you:

Dan and Willa (If you have NO IDEA who those people are, click here.) are Skyping so they can plan their fall travel weekends. While Skyping, Sophie (Dan's girlfriend Willa doesn't know about) calls Dan and he answers the phone and Willa, who is in full-on, head-over-heels crush mode for Dan, overhears their conversation. This is how she reacts.

I didn’twant to ask the next question. But I had to know for certain.

“So, you andSophie are . . . ?” I said to Dan. He immediately became very still and thesmile faded from his face. It even faded from his habitually smile-filled eyes.

I could feelmy heart slow. Where my blood was racing through my veins earlier, I wouldswear it was creeping along now, as if it had hit a sudden traffic jam.Suddenly, I was cold. I wanted to get up and grab a cardigan or a blanket, but sinceI had begun to feel numb all over, I wasn’t sure if my body parts were workingproperly. Why didn’t he just answer the damn question already?

“Dan?” Isaid, impatiently, my voice a little more shrill than I intended it to be. I already knew what the answerwas. But I had to hear him say it.

“Sophie is,um . . . ” He let the sentence fade into nothingness. “ . . . Willa . . . ” Hesaid my name longingly, his eyes looking straight into mine through the webcam,begging me to drop the question. It actually looked as if he didn’t want it tobe true himself. As if it was somehow paining him to tell me the truth. Andeven via webcam and behind his glasses, his stupid eyes were so emotive andshockingly colorful at the moment that I wanted to just forget the question andjoke around with him and curl up with our future that had been so vivid justminutes ago, and pretend I’d never heard of stupid, gorgeous, ambitious Sophie.

But none ofthat was real. I stared back at him with hard eyes and a stony resolve. “Answerthe question, Dan.”

After anicy, silent, tension-filled couple seconds he finally said, “Sophie is mygirlfriend.”

I could feel my heart tearing openand bleeding. When I looked down, I was shocked to find that blood wasn’tseeping through my tank top. I felt stupid for not realizing he didn’t feel thesame way about me and thinking that a couple hugs and a goddamn kiss on thefucking forehead was more than friendly.

After I’dtold Ana about the forehead kiss, I was mooning and smiling and giddy. She had said flatly, “I don’t see what the bigdeal is about a kiss on the forehead. That’s what, like, grandparents do totheir grandkids.” At the time I’d been too happy to care. But now I see thatshe’s right. God, she’s always right.

“Willa, saysomething.” Dan’s eyes were now pleading and I saw that my image on the screenwas terrifying. My eyes were dark and my mouth was thin and taut and the arterieson either side of my neck were sticking out because I was clenching my jaw sotightly.

I had noidea what he wanted me to say, so I went with “I have to go.”

“But, whatabout planning our flights?” he asked. I laughed humorlessly, a cold, harshsound that probably would have terrified small children and the superreligious. I suddenly couldn’t stand to look at him anymore. I had to make himgo away.

I closed mylaptop without even saying good-bye. I sat in silence for a couple minutes,unsure of what to do. I wanted to scream and cry and break things. But thatwouldn’t change the situation. And I’d have to clean up a physical mess inaddition to the emotional one I already was.

So I did theonly other thing I could think of at the moment.

I called Samuel.

So there you have it! Was it too much? Too ridiculous? Too weird? Not enough? Really bad? Let me know your HONEST opinions in comments, s'il vous plait!

Reactionary Reading: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

2011-09-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the another edition of Reactionary Reading, a feature where I share my reading notes with all of y'all! This week I'm publishing my notes on The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, a book that I had LARGE reactions to while reading it.

For those of you new to this feature, there are a couple THINGS you probably need to know about it. So, here's how it works:

So without further ado, may I present my notes (which I didn't remember to start taking until a couple hundred pages into the book) on The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer.

Michelle Hodkin just might be the queen of witty, sexually-charged banter.

p. 222: A look of horror dawned on Noah's face. "What are you doing?"

"I am paying for my lunch."

"I don't understand," Noah said.

"Food costs money."

"Brilliant. But that still doesn't explain why you think you're payin for it."

"Because I pay for my own food."

"It was ten dollars."

"And, wouldn't you know, I have ten dollars."

"And I have an American Express Black Card."

I keep finding myself holding my breath! The sexual tension between Mara Dyer and Noah Shaw is like humidity.

Noah is straight up sex. What is it about the reckless ones?! He's the guy who knows exactly the sort of thrall he holds over women. I mean, the art room business. If he were my boyfriend I would be embarrassed and pissed and giddy all at the same time. And that's the thing about him—he's easy be annoyed with, but impossible to hate.

p. 265: Noah does this thing every now and then where he mutters something like, "That's why—" or "I thought—" or "I remembered—" and it makes me think things are not as they seem. I'm all concerned there's something Mara doesn't remember or know, that Noah does. Or that Noah isn't real at all. Which then means that her reality isn't actually her reality and that this is about to get allllll kinds of Inception up in here.

I love super precocious Joseph, with his stock tips and reading of the WSJ and sharp wit.

Jamie is incredible. Funny and understanding and supportive and geeky in all the right ways. [Parseltongue/elvish thing. love that.] Any person would be LUCKY to have him in their life.

I fucking hate Anna and Aiden so goddamn much. They are hideous, horrible people. I hope they have a gloriously satisfying demise.

I'm seriously concerned about Mara's losing track of time. What if she's going out and doing terrible things?! Like in White Cat?! OMG. WHAT IF SHE'S A DEATH WORKER LIKE CASSEL?! Ok, probably not. But seriously. What if she's wandering around, doing horrible things, and she can't remember them because they're terrible? Oh man.

OMG. What if Mara is a vengeance demon, like Anya on Buffy!

p. 325: I also think my stupid knowledge that something severely twisty is coming up in right about twenty-five pages is messing with my reading experience. Argh.

Mara's birthday is on the Ides of March!!!!

Oh holy Buddha, Joseph. Also: WTF all does Noah know?! And why is it all a big mystery? WHAT IS HAPPENING?

p. 331: Okay, if THAT was Gatorgate, then that wasn't such a big deal.

p. 345: I'm getting really, really concerned about the levels of mindfuckery that are potentially happening right now.

p. 351: Oh. Oh my God. I think she's a vengeance demon. Or some sort of vengeancy-something.

p. 387: HEEEEERE WE GO!

p. 420: I am SO RIGHT.

p. 426: Where's Jaime? And who's the guy with the Rolex? And the Santeria priest? SO MANY QUESTIONS. But now is Mara/Noah sexy time. So the questions can WAIT.

p. 427: And why the hell is the letter at the front all weird and foreshadowy about her name and the lawyer and such? And what's with the foreshadowing at the end of some chapters where Mara talks about the things she should/shouldn't have done in retrospect? OMG. Need to knooooow.

p. 449: NO FRAKKING WAY.

Tune In Tuesday: Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights

2011-09-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

There are few things I like more than the television series Friday Night Lights.

Jump to, the other day when I was tooling around on Spotify. Someone created an FNL Season 5 playlist of all the songs featured on the show during its final season.

Naturally, I listened. (And looooooved.)

Now, I've always enjoyed the music on the show, but I've never REALLY thought about it or sought it out. This is partly because a) a lot of the music is stuff I already listen to and b) I spent most of my time swooning over Coach Taylor. So I was really digging on this playlist and then I got to a song by a band I'd never heard of. It made my heart happy. And now I share it with all of youuuuuu.

May I present, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights, aka, my new band crush.

(Be warned: the video is a tidbit NSFW.)

Tune in Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Review: Past Perfect

2011-09-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Past Perfect
Author: Leila Sales
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 322
Release Date: October 4, 2011
Format: eGalley via Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

All Chelsea wants to do this summer is hang out with her best friend, hone her talents as an ice cream connoisseur, and finally get over Ezra, the boy who broke her heart. But when Chelsea shows up for her summer job at Essex Historical Colonial Village (yes, really), it turns out Ezra’s working there too. Which makes moving on and forgetting Ezra a lot more complicated…even when Chelsea starts falling for someone new.

Maybe Chelsea should have known better than to think that a historical reenactment village could help her escape her past. But with Ezra all too present, and her new crush seeming all too off limits, all Chelsea knows is that she’s got a lot to figure out about love. Because those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it….—Goodreads

THIS BOOK IS SO STINKIN' GOOD.

It honestly might be the most perfect YA contemp I've ever read. It's silly and girly and rings very true to a typical teenage girl's experiences. And it is just SO MUCH FUN to read.

Now, I will be honest. I was apparently pre-destined to like this book because it is mostly set in a historic colonial village à la Colonial Williamsburg. I have an undergrad degree in American History and before that, DEEPLY IDENTIFIED with Felicity from the American Girl series. Now, I do realize that I am not unique in this—there are many, many girls my age who loved Felicity and hold American History degrees. And all of those girls need to read this book. Because they will love it as much as I do.

So, ok, you probs want to know why I like this practically perfect little book so much, right? Leila Sales just does such a good job creating characters, especially the main character, Chelsea, that are just likable. Chelsea seems very, very real and very, very normal and the situations she finds herself in are also very, very real and normal. She's nursing a pouty heart, and around the time that she thinks she can FINALLY get away from her ex (aka, summer break), she realizes he's taken a job at the historical reenactment village where her parents work full-time, and where she works every summer. Because boys are awful.

And if that weren't enough, it turns out that there is a Civil War reenactment village DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET from the colonial village (I know, hilarious, right?!), and the teens who work there wage prank wars on each other every summer. It is AWESOME and HILARIOUS. OMG, y'all, my geeky, history-loving heart adored this part of the book so dad-gum much. I read this book on a plane and kept giggling and squealing in delight, and I'm pretty sure my seat mates thought I was bonkers. But I did not CARE because I was having so much fun with this book. Anyway, it turns out that there's a very cute guy who works at the Civil War place, and of course my girl Chelsea finds herself attracted to him.

Now, one might think that this would breed a love triangle type situation. But it didn't!!!!!! Sure, Chelsea was still getting over her ex and started having feelings for someone else, but it never became a soul-crushing, OMG THIS IS LIFE OR DEATH kind of thing. And it definitely wasn't the only thing Chelsea thought about throughout the book. Because she isn't crazy.

Overall, the beauty in this book is that it is honest and realistic in its depiction of being a teenage girl who has been hurt and is trying to move on. No matter who you are or what your age is or whether or not you even like history, you should pick this book up. It will make you laugh and cheer and smile and want to hug your best friend and maybe want to ask Miss Leila Sales to be your best friend. Or maybe that's just me. Regardless, Past Perfect is a book I definitely have a crush on. And NOT because of the boys.

But don't take just my word for it! Check out these other reviews from awesome bloggers:

Anna at Anna Reads

April at Good Books and Good Wine

Ginger at GReadsBooks

Melanie at Reclusive Bibliophile

What I'm Writing {3}: The Best Friend Origin Story

2011-09-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey loves!

So, this week I'm gonna talk a little more about my currently-untitled-YA-book-in-progress that I am not so creatively calling "Airport Book." [BOOK TITLE SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME]

I introduced the premise of this book a little bit last week. And this week I've been focusing on a chapter from Willa's perspective. So let me introduce her PROPERLY to y'all.

Willa Thompson is 17 and she lives in NYC. My goal is for her to be smart and serious about her future and responsible, but sort of eccentric and goofy at the same time. We'll see if I ever succeed on that front. And Willa's best friend is named Ana Cabral. In this particular area of the book, Ana is traveling with Willa to visit her dad.

So, I wrote this whole Willa-Ana friendship origin story and now that I've written the damn thing, I don't think it REALLY matters. I mean, what's more important is that they're friends, right? I don't want to bore my hopefully-somewhere-in-the-future readers with this whole expositional story if in the end is has absolutely no bearing on the rest of the story.

Buuuuut . . . I kind of really like their little origin story. It's not all that shocking or weird or different, but I think it does a good job of explaining the dynamic between the two girls. So! After the jump, feel free to check out the very very rough edit of the BFF Origin Story.

After take-off, I grabbed my copy of Candide and cracked the cover. Before I could even take in the first word Ana grabbed my book out of my hands and said, “Willa. It’s June. We literally started summer break last week. You are NOT already doing next year's homework.”

“So what if I am?” I countered defensively.

“Willa. Give your brain a break.” She handed me Vanity Fair. I look back at her and say, “You do realize that this particular magazine has a reputation for great articles.”

“No, I don’t realize that. Because all normal people do is look at the pretty pretty pictures."

“Are you saying I’m not normal?”

“Girl, everything about you is not normal,” she quipped without looking up from the pages of Vogue.

This is why I love Ana.

[THIS IS WHERE I MADE THE CUT]Which is funny, because when we first met five years ago, we loathed each other. We were in the second week of sixth grade, and she had just enrolled. I was assigned by the counselor to be her school guide and I was fascinated by Ana, whose family had moved to New York from Brazil. But she made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me. In fact she said in her perfect English, “Just because you’re my tour guide doesn’t mean we’re friends.”

It wasn’t until a year later, when we were forced to work on a history project together that we spoke again. I was in the midst of my goth phase (meaning I wore black nail polish, skull barrettes, and Doc Martins, much to the chagrin of the nuns. There was no way they’d let me get away with safety pins in my uniform or fishnet tights. My mom wouldn’t either.) and Ana was the most popular girl in school with her couture handbags and naturally shiny black hair. But it wasn’t an insta-friendship by any means. We did our project, made an A on our presentation, and that was that.

And then Ana started saying hi to me in the hallway. Not that that was earth shattering or anything, but before the project, she didn’t deign to look at me. And then one Friday she asked if I had plans, and I said no, and she said good, and then invited me to a sleep over at her place. When I showed up, the other girls were completely confused. Some of them thought it was some sort of evil prank Ana had planned. But Ana gave me a big hug and invited me in and glared at the other girls until they were nice to me. I even let them give me a make-over. Ever since then, Ana and I have been friends. [END OF CUT SECTION]

For the rest of the flight, we chatted and looked through magazines and picked out our must-haves for the fall. Well, Ana picked out must-haves. I made mental notes to find knock-offs or vintage. I kept waiting for her to push me about the Samuel/Dan situation, but she didn't.

That made me nervous.

©Bethany Larson, 2011

Alright, so that was it! I know it's a little boring, so feel free to tell me that. But, what I'm more curious about is if this sort of background info is of interest to you when you read or if you just don't care about how your characters know each other. Lemme know in comments, s'il vous plait!

Let's Celebrate Banned Books Week! With a Hop!

2011-09-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone, and welcome to my giveaway for Banned Books Week Hop, hosted by the awesome bloggers at I Read Banned Books and I Am a Reader Not a Writer.

As someone who has loved reading since I can remember, the fact that books are contested/censored/banned makes me feel like I'm going to turn into the Hulk. And I think that particularly now with the weird backlash to YA and the subsequent YA Saves movement, there is more and more focus on book censorship.

And lately, the books being challenged are RIDICULOUS. Like, Sherlock Holmes books. Really. SHERLOCK HOLMES. People are uptight and touchy and really need to stop looking at books as purveyors of immorality and sin. Because they aren't.

So, with that. Here are the two books I'm giving away for this very awesome week and hop.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This is a book that means a whole hell of a lot to me and no one should be denied access to it. Ever. For any reason. It's important and has important things to say about, you know, humanity and compassion and decency and life in general. Which obviously means it should be banned? I SAY GOOD DAY TO THOSE PEOPLE and show them the door. I hope it hits them on the way out.

2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I just really like this book. :)

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Please note that winners will be chosen by Random.org and that your email address will not be shared or distributed.

Be sure to check out the rest of the AMAZING bloggers hosting giveaways this week! Much love to you all and Happy Reading of Banned Books!!!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Book Trailer!

2011-09-23T12:55:00.000-04:00

WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

SO GOOD. Seriously, this is the best book trailer I've ever seen. *fangirls about office* *calms self down with coffee*

via MTV Hollywood Crush

TGIF: Reading Challenges

2011-09-23T07:54:00.001-04:00

Hiiiii.

This week, Ginger at GReadsBooks has asked:

Reading Challenges: Did you sign up for any this year? How has your progression been?

I actually started this blog back in February and had ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE about the (freaking fantastic, supportive, amazing) YA book blogging community. So I started clicking around and reading blogs and I would see these reading challenges, but because it was already February I thought it was probably too late to join any of them. (I'm sort of a rule follower. So. That.)

But, I got on Goodreads and had set a reading goal of one hundred books for this year and I believe I'm "doing" the YA Historical Fiction Challenge hosted by YABliss—meaning, I have the button on my blog. ;)

As far as my progress, I'm doing ok with the Goodreads one. I've read seventy books thus far this year, which puts me a book or two behind, but that's easily caught up on.

And then the YA Historical Fiction challenge is a little trickier simply because there really isn't a ton of YA novels that are straight up historical fiction. But in that category I think I set a personal goal of ten historical fiction books, and I've probably read . . . four? And that's only if you have a REALLY LOOSE DEFINITION of "historical fiction." So, far the rest of this year, obviously I need to focus on the historical fiction side of things. . . . if you have any SUGGESTIONS of great books in that category, leave 'em in comments! *smiles sweetly*

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Video Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

2011-09-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Author: Laini Taylor

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Pages: 420

Release Date: September 27, 2011 (aka, the day EVERYTHING AWESOME comes out.)

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?—Goodreads

Behold! My first video blog!

Tune In Tuesday: Ryan Adams

2011-09-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hi friends.

Let's chat about Ryan Adams.

I LOVE HIM.

I think he's such a crazy-brilliant writer and he is crazy talented and he's married to Mandy Moore and I like all of those things about him.

And he has a new album coming out soon.

And he has released a new single and it is INCREDIBLE.

Here! Listen!

Mmmmm Ryan Adams. :)

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

What I'm Writing {2.5}: Sexy Times

2011-09-17T17:03:00.001-04:00

Earlier today I polled some of y'all about a sexy times scene I've been writing for one of my book projects. EVERYONE said I should spice it up.

So I did.

And here is the (much) spicier, smuttier version of the scene, plus a little of what comes before it, for reference. :) Check it out and let me know what you think!

“Ok, so tell me about Willa so I don’t Internet stalk every girl named Willa I can find while you’re gone all week,” she said.

That caught me off guard. I really didn’t want to tell Sophie anything about Willa, and definitely didn’t understand the compulsion to Internet stalk. “Well, what do you want to know?”

“Where she’s from, her age, what she’s like, whether or not you want to sleep with her. You know. Those sorts of things,” Sophie said in her machine gun style, but with a mischievous smile. It didn’t quite hide her insecurity.

“She lives in New York City. She’s our age. She’s, um . . .” The ‘what she’s like’ threw me off. I wanted to be honest, but I didn’t want to make Sophie feel any weirder about the situation. I realized I’d been quiet for about thirty seconds and Sophie was looking at me expectantly. Grasping for words that were diplomatic I said, “She’s loud. Opinionated. Very New York.”

That should do it.

“You didn’t answer the last part,” Sophie said, not letting me off the hook.

This one was going to be trickier to get out of. But in a stroke of genius that I can only attribute to my viewing of shows on The CW I automatically said, “Now why would I want to sleep with Willa when I have you?”

Sophie’s eyes lit up then and then she, quite literally, jumped on me. Her kisses were fierce and feverish. Her hands were under my shirt, moving down toward the band of my jeans. But instead of unbuttoning them, she slipped her hands underneath my jeans and boxers and ran her cool fingers across the sensitive skin near my hip bones.

I had to have her.

As if she could sense my impatience, she finally unbuttoned my jeans and shimmied them down my legs while I pulled my shirt off over my head. Sophie’s eyes met mine.

“Come here,” I said softly. Without a word, she obliged, straddling my hips and clasping her hands behind my neck.

“You’re still fully dressed,” I observed.

“Mhmm,” she purred.

“I don’t think that’s fair,” I countered before gently kissing her neck, just below her ear, and then working my lips down to her collarbone. She gave a little moan that only added fuel to my already blazing fire. I gruffly pulled her shirt off and ran my hands down the curvy sides of her body, undoing the button of her shorts. She responded by kissing me deeply and leaning forward, guiding my body back toward the bed.

Just as I was reaching into the drawer of my nightstand, I heard “Paper Planes.” I knew I shouldn’t answer the phone, but I really wanted to. I hesitated long enough that Sophie said, “Everything ok?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” I said, grabbing a condom and then rolling back toward her on my bed. "More than fine actually." We started making out again, ignoring the fact that I was fumbling with the wrapper. When I finally got the damn thing open, “Paper Planes” emanated from my phone again.

I couldn’t help but grin—Willa was unknowingly cock-blocking me. At least, I hoped it was unknowingly. She couldn’t know I was about to have sex, right? It’s not like she was some sort of X-Man whose superpower was sensing lust. I mean, the only way that would come in handy is if Sophie were a succubus. But I think if she were, I’d know that by now.

©Bethany Larson, 2011

What I'm Writing {2}: Sexy Times

2011-09-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

So, this week I am struggling with a certain not-so-taboo-but-still-kind-of-taboo subject: teenage sex.

Like I told y'all last week, I'm sort of in the middle of a bunch of different book projects. The one I'm obsessed with writing right now is a contemp romance about two teens—Dan and Willa—who have met up once a month during their planned layovers in an airport for the past three years. Now they're in the summer before senior year and suddenly find themselves with feelings for each other. So they have to figure out what to do (or not to do) about a long distance relationship, all while on the precipice of starting their senior year of high school and planning for college and so on and so forth. (I know, it's a bit involved, but I think [read: hope] it works.)

Anyway, Dan is, um, quite sexually active and I'm writing a chapter from his perspective (writing a sex scene as a guy? HARD. No pun intended. Ok, maybe a little intended.) . . . and I'm kind of happy with it. I think it's rather tame and JUST FINE as is. [Well, this is still a pretty rough draft, so obvs there will be some editing/re-writing. But in theory, it's just fine.]

But then again, it's my writing. So, OF COURSE I think it's fine.

I sent it to my mom (who is my first reader on basically everything) and she straight up hates the scene for her own reasons. But she is not an obsessive YA reader. So! I'm going to share the scene with y'all, and then you can take a happy little poll and tell me whether it's too much, too weird, not enough, or if I should just delete and re-write.

Here's the scene:

Sophie’s eyes lit up then and then she, quite literally, jumped on me. We immediately started moving back toward the pillows, making out and shedding clothes as we went. What I like about hooking up with Sophie is that it just feels comfortable. Even the first time, there was a measure of comfort in how awkward we both were. But now that we’d had more time to really become accustomed to each other’s bodies, things were much more smooth. There was no stopping to nervously ask the other person if they were ok or if we should stop. Now that we knew what we were doing, things had become, well, more exciting.

Just as I was reaching into the drawer of my nightstand I heard “Paper Planes.” [NOTE: It's previously established that this is Willa's ringtone.] I knew I shouldn’t answer the phone, but I really wanted to. I hesitated long enough that Sophie said, “Everything ok?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” I said, grabbing a condom and then rolling back toward her on my bed. We started making out again, ignoring the fact that I was fumbling with the wrapper. When I finally got the damn thing open, “Paper Planes” emanated from my phone again.

I couldn’t help but grin—Willa was unknowingly cock-blocking me. At least, I hoped it was unknowingly. She couldn’t know I was about to have sex, right? It’s not like she's some sort of X-Man whose superpower is sensing lust. I mean, the only way that would come in handy is if Sophie were a succubus. But I think if she were, I’d know that by now.

©Bethany Larson, 2011

And here's the poll!

TGIF: Book Disappointments

2011-09-16T09:02:00.000-04:00

Y'all! It is currently 53 degrees in New York!

53!!!!!

*happy dances* *prepares to bake many pumpkin-flavored things this weekend*

Anyway, for this very cool Friday, Ginger at GReadsBooks has asked:

Have you ever come across a book you were so stoked to read, but it failed miserably in your eyes?

Oh boy.

Well, the answer is very much yes. But, just because I didn't like it doesn't mean that it isn't someone else's favorite book in the whole entire universe and they think it's brilliant and awesome and perfect. So, keep that part in mind. And if I mention a book that you ADORE, feel free to berate me and/or defend the book in comments. :)

Die for Me by Amy Plum
This book was very meh for me. I didn't love the main character OR her love interest and was far more interested in the supporting characters. However, if you are a Francophile, read this book for Plum's scene setting skills.But only do it if you have enough money to buy a spur-of-the-moment flight to Paris.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike
This is the book that taught me faeries are NOT my thing.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
If you ever want to hear/see me lose my ever-loving mind, ask me about James Frey. That being said, I read this book ANYWAY because my curiosity got the best of me. And while the story is compelling, I felt that there was far too much filler and that the story could have been cut down about a hundred pages or so.

The last four Pretty Little Liars books by Sara Shepard
WHYYYYY did they contract for eight books?! WHY?! They should have done it in six. Because there were definitely two whole books where all I could think was "I really don't care about any of this, just tell me WHO THE EFF A IS!!!!!" And now Shepard's writing four more. I really have no idea what they will be about. But TWELVE books is about six too many for a series. SRSLY.

The Carrie Diaries by Candance Bushnell
Like every other woman on the planet, I adored Sex and the City the TV series. And I really like Candace Bushnell's writing. So when I heard about the YA prequels Bushnell was writing, I FREAKED OUT. Because that was the part of the story I'd always wanted—how did these four very different women meet and become friends? But the first book was all about Carrie in high school and for the most part is was really really really REALLY boring. But it ended well. So I'm kind of curious to pick up the second book.

All right, those are the books I'm going to rag on. I hope everyone has plans to have a lovely lovely weekend! And if you're going to be at Brooklyn Book Festival on Sunday, let me know on the Twitters! @bethanyelarson

TGIF is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Reactionary Reading: Fury

2011-09-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the second edition of Reactionary Reading, a feature where I share my reading notes with all of y'all! This week I'm publishing my notes on Fury by Elizabeth Miles, a book that I had LARGE reactions to while reading it.

For those of you new to this feature, there are a couple THINGS you probably need to know about it. So, here's how it works:

So without further ado, may I present my notes on Fury.

p. 12: Well, damn. That's ONE WAY to set the tone.

p. 19: They apparently live in a town called Ascension, which means that all I'll think about during this book is Buffy Season 3.

p. 21: "Some days she was able to appreciate her dancer's build, but tonight she just wished she owned a padded bra." I feel you, lady. Except I'm short as well as flat-chested. *grumble*

p. 32: I'm sort of digging that the football quarterback is a poor kid who lives in a trailer and is really self-conscious of that fact. Kind of like Mary Jane from Spider-Man. Except, male.

p. 48: Oh. The plot of this just got all Sometimes It Happens.

Okay, so it makes sense that the three gorgeous, weather-proof girls are the Furies. (Ty, Meg, Ali are short for the Furies' names I do believe.) And . . . they need to claim a body since Sasha cheated death? I think that's my theory for now.

OMG. So I got curious and looked up the Furies as a refresher in Greek mythology, and it turns out that Ty is the Fury of "avenging murder." *ooooh*

p. 97: Twizzler-straws!! I do that too! :)

p. 101: Ugh. I think I hate Zach. The whole scene with the fireplace and the expensive wine makes me want to smack him. He thinks he's SOOOOO slick. Well. He is just not. If he were real, he'd be the kind of person who peaks in high school.

Ok, so the three girls are DEF the Furies. Does that make the underground club Hades?

p. 124: What the hell?

I really, really like J.D. He reminds me a little of Lucas in Pretty Little Liars.

Chase is an idiot. Really? You're gonna let the Fury chick get you all naked and take pics of you after you JUST had a mean-spirited pic circulated about you to your entire school? Guys are dumb.

Although. Em hasn't been the brightest crayon in the box either.

I love J.D.

But, as much as I'm annoyed with Em, this is such a good depiction of the emotions girls feel when they're attracted to someone, especially someone they have such a crush on that they're blind to the bigger picture.

p. 170: "Was this how love was? Complicated, sad, messy?"

I sort of like how dumb teenage girls seem in this book. Because if I'm being honest, I was a SUPER DUMB teenage girl when it came to boys. Hell, I'm still super dumb when it comes to guys.

p. 178: Oh GOOD. I hope Chase and Zach get into a fight. Zach needs to get the shit kicked out of him.

YES.

p. 185: Oh, I really really hope Emily takes this all to heart and gets the hell away from Zach.

Oh, good. You tell him Em.

I kind of feel bad for Chase. He's a bit of a douche, but I don't think he actually is. I think he's probs a really, really good guy.

p. 214: Oh shit. Which one is Ali? *Googles* Alecto = castigates moral crimes against others (anger is the example given.) [for reference, Megara causes envy/jealous and punishes infidelity.] HMMM.

p. 218: Oh shit.

p. 219: Oh. Well, at least the Furies are helpful sometimes.

Ok, so what the hell do the orchids have to do with the Furies? Is this a Beauty and the Beast kind of sitch? And where did the Hades/club place go? I thought that was going to be, like, a place.

p. 226: I sort of want Chase and Em to end up together. Even though I like J.D. so dang much.

ALSO. I think this book needs more Drea. I feel like maybe she KNOWS THINGS.

p. 229: Oh there's Drea!! I have good timing. :)

p. 233: Aaaaaand Meg strikes. Dayum.

But WHY are the Furies in Ascension? It surely has to do with Sasha, right?

p. 237: UGH. Boys are dumb.

p. 247: Oh God. Meg is in the car with Em.

Well that wasn't so bad.

p. 250: Oh. No.

OMG. What the hell Chase?

Ok, so NOW I get why Ty was targeting him . . . but Sasha isn't dead, right?

p. 258: OMG! Well. Shit.

...Chase's poor mom...

p. 263: Go Detective Em, go!

p. 270: Finally!! Now let's go see Sasha!

Also: Want more J.D.

p. 276: THE SNAKE PIN! Now that I think about it, there are lots of pins worn in this book. Sasha & Drea have the snake pins and Gabby has the rhinestone heart pin . . . I smell a motif.

p. 281: Hey there Drea. I don't know if I trust you.

WHAT WHAT WHAT. Is it Drea who is the key to all this and not Sasha?!

Drea knows what's up!!! Huzzah!

p. 290: "J.D. looked blinsided "Where are you going?" "I"m going home," she spat out. "I'm going home. At least my pillows aren't condescending." Burn.

p. 307: Oh God. Is Drea's house the same one Ty and Chase were in?

So, Drea seems awesome. I just want to know WHY she has randomly collected stories about the Furies from all over the world.

p. 317: Oh, right the pep rally! I bet shit goes DOWN.

I. LOVE. J.D. And I'm glad Em does too.

p. 320: Oh, bloody hell.

p. 331: Oh FUCK.

p. 337: God. Is she gonna try to bargain with the Furies?! Has she NEVER read Greek literature? You don't bargain with mythological beings. It only ends BADLY. Perhaps this is an allegorical treatise on the decline of education in America due to illiteracy. (Probably not. But still.) Because I def read Greek literature in high school. And I dug it.

Oh good Lord.

Unless. Unless Em becomes a Fury. That would be kind of cool actually.

SUCH. A GOOD. ENDING. I needed that.

Waiting on Wednesday: Darker Still

2011-09-14T00:52:00.001-04:00

Title: Darker Still
Author: Leanna Renee Heiber
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 320
Release Date: November 1, 2011

The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Pride and Prejudice, with a dash of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.—Goodreads

Um, did you read that first line of the Goodreads summary?

THAT'S ALL I NEED TO KNOW.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Tune In Tuesday: Ben Rector

2011-09-13T00:00:00.002-04:00

So, there's this guy I went to college with.

His name is Ben Rector.

Ben is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter.

Now, I'm not saying this because we went to college together. I'm saying it because it's THE TRUTH.

His stuff has been featured all over the place, including on an episode of Pretty Little Liars. (Yeah. What up now.)

Sooo, check him out.

So, now it's time for me to shamelessly promote Mr. Rector.

His new album, Something Like This, is out TODAY. You can preview it here. You can BUY it on iTunes or Amazon. (And you should.) He is going on tour. You should GO if he is coming to your town, or somewhere near your town. He is also on the Twitters. You should FOLLOW him.

Ok! I think that is all for today. You may return to your other Tuesday things. *grins*

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Review: A Long, Long Sleep

2011-09-12T00:00:00.001-04:00

Title: A Long, Long Sleep
Author: Anna Sheehan
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 352
Release Date: August 9, 2011
Format: ARC from publisher for review

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss.
Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose— hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire—is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat.
Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes -- or be left without any future at all.—Goodreads

A futuristic take on the tale of Sleeping Beauty, A Long, Long Sleep imagines what would happen if a girl named Rose woke up in a world she no longer recognized, but one that recognized her.

While at the outset it seems like a "That'd be neat!" idea, Sheehan spins the story in the other direction. Instead of being excited she is in the future, Rose, who is the long-lost-and-assumed-dead daughter of the president of a ginormous corporation and will thus inherent the company and be a kajillionaire, is completely shell-shocked. She mourns for her parents and her boyfriend, Xavier, whom she lost when she woke up sixty-two years too late.

The results are devastating. Not only does Rose have to deal with the knowledge that she's in a time that she was never supposed to see, she also has to learn about The Dark Times, when a plague ravaged the human population and killed almost everyone. And Rose is a delicate sort, so this REALLY rocks her. And if that weren't enough, there is a robot trying to kill her.

But that's not all Sheehan does. Oh no. Living in the future and being hunted by a seemingly indestructible robot weren't enough for her. She deftly relates a story of abuse in a way that is subtle, haunting, and heart-wrenching all at the same time.

Though there are a lot of things happening in A Long, Long Sleep, it's not a particularly quick read. The story unfolds slowly and quietly, but is never boring. And Sheehan does a great job of creating a world that feels foreign from our own, but is also similar enough that it doesn't take a great deal of suspended belief to, well, believe in it.

Overall, A Long, Long Sleep is a lovely story about how one girl finds herself in the midst of a world she no longer recognizes. It's not intensely funny or happy or snappy, but the prose are sumptuous and the story is compelling. It'll definitely make you think twice before saying, "I just wish I could go to the future."

What I'm Writing {1}

2011-09-10T09:44:00.001-04:00

So there's something y'all may or may not know about me: I'm writing a YA novel. (I know, who isn't, right?) And in truth, I'm writing about three. And there are about three more floating around in my head.

But that is not the point.

The point is that it's both easy and hard to write a book. It's easy in the sense that sitting down and getting the ideas and words out of your head and onto the page is, well, FUN. And you feel like you're accomplishing something. For me that part is easy. The hard part comes in evaluating what you've written. So I've created this new feature so that I can share my writing with y'all (because y'all are experts on YA). And because sharing is the best. (And I'm sure at some point I'll add in polls or ask for advice along the way. *grins*)

So, here's the skinny on the chapter of the book I'm going to share with you today: I've really struggled with it. It's the opening chapter of a contemporary espionage novel that I've been working on FOR MONTHS, and no matter what I do with it, I don't seem to like the first few paragraphs.

But I figure that I'll probably never be completely satisfied with my writing, so I'm just letting it go and turning it over the (hopefully constructive) people of the Internet. If you have the time, feel free to read through the first chapter and let me know what you think of it!

Addy Scott was annoyed. She knew that on that particularly warm October day, at exactly 11:52 A.M., a special announcement would be made proclaiming the names of the lucky ladies on this year's Homecoming Court.

Addy was so anxious for the announcement that she couldn't focus on anything her trigonometry teacher was saying. When it became obvious that learning wasn't going to happen, she tried doodling and daydreaming to pass the time, but to no avail. Her thoughts kept going back to whether or not she'd made Court. She was growing more and more impatient; time seemed to be mocking her by moving more and more slowly.

So now she was trying bend the clock to her will. But, despite her best efforts at telekinesis, the second hand seemingly refused to budge past 11:47 A.M.

Normally Addy was not the kind of girl to sit around thinking about Homecoming Court, despite the fact that she lived in Katy, Texas and Homecoming was a bigger deal than the Fourth of July. However, things had changed for Addy in the past year, and now she was the kind of girl who thought about Homecoming Court.

In nine short months, she had morphed from a too short, too skinny, flat-chested girl into a perfectly proportioned young woman. And because high school is the most superficial place in existence, as soon as the rest of the students realized she was gorgeous with her chestnut colored hair, hourglass figure, and delicate bone structure, there was a new, widespread curiosity about Addy despite the fact that she had known her classmates since kindergarten. She actually found the curiosity and attention more annoying than flattering.

As she sat in class and thought about her newly inflated social status and her insane amount of commitments, Addy knew her chances of being on Homecoming Court were good. Not that she was full of herself—she had proof. At least eight of the football players stopped her that morning to tell her she was their pick for Court, and because they never walked alone, their friends all grunted in agreement, making it seem as if she was the obvious choice for junior maid.

“Come. On!” she said, a little too loudly, while still staring at the clock and rapidly tapping her pencil against the desk. She suddenly realized that she looked like the opening shot of that old Britney Spears video, except without the schoolgirl uniform and weird pink fluffy things in her hair. Praise God.

“Miss Scott, is there something you’d like to share with the class?” the trigonometry teacher asked.

As she tried to collect her thoughts and say something semi-coherent, the anticipated announcement began.

“Hello students! This is Mrs. Mitchell, your student council advisor. Today we have a very special announcement regarding your Katy High Homecoming Court.”

Addy’s heart rate rose until she could feel her pulse in her thumbs. She leaned so far forward in her desk chair that she felt the back legs tip a little off the ground. As she readjusted her weight so that she wouldn’t fall over, Addy caught the eye of her best friend, Marcy.

“Anxious much, A?” Marcy whispered from across the aisle.

“God, is it that obvious?”

Addy felt ridiculous. She hadn’t been nearly this nervous when student council was announced the previous May. And being vice-president was a way bigger accomplishment than being on Homecoming Court. At least, it was in her mind.

Marcy giggled softly and said, “Yeah. But, I mean, it is Homecoming Court. It’s a seriously big deal. Even for Addison Scott.”

Addy rolled her eyes. She knew that her late-to-the-party growth spurt and subsequent popularity hadn’t been easy on Marcy, who is Amazon tall with so-red-it's-orange hair and millions of freckles covering her almost translucent skin. She had always been the gangly, awkward girl who was the obvious choice to play center for the girls’ basketball team, but was too uncoordinated to actually play.

But Marcy had been her best friend since the first day of middle school, when Addy had spied the picture of Spike in Marcy’s locker, and they had bonded over their mutual love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They had been inseparable ever since. Addy wasn’t about to abandon that friendship just because Cassidy Freeman, the most popular senior, decided to invite her to eat lunch one day.

Suddenly, Addy was jolted out of her thoughts.

“ . . . and this year’s junior maid will be . . . Ariel Stephens!”

Addy felt as if a sumo wrestler was sitting on her chest. She was surprised by the weight of her disappointment and didn’t turn to look at Marcy, whose big blue eyes were surely full of the same disappointment Addy was feeling. She just couldn’t face her yet, even though she knew Marcy would have exactly the right thing to say.

In an attempt to distract herself, Addy closed her trig book and started making a mental list of the things she needed to do that day.

"French test. Quiz Bowl practice. Grocery store. Oh right, grocery store."

For some reason her dad had asked her to pick up a couple things after school. He said he had something special planned.

“I hope he’s not announcing that he’s going to propose to his inane girlfriend,” Addy thought.

Since her mother had passed away three years ago, she and her father, Richard, a NASA engineer, had become incredibly close. Then six months ago he started dating Felicia, a hair stylist at a funky Houston salon, and Addy started to feel their perfect father-daughter relationship waver. She was glad that her father was happy, but didn’t he realize that Felicia wasn’t right for him? She was too loud, couldn’t cook, refused to wear any color other than black, and had blue streaks in her platinum blonde hair. Felicia was cool, sure, but she just . . . wasn’t right for her dad. Why couldn’t he see that?

However, her anti-Felicia train of thought was once again interrupted by Mrs. Mitchell’s peppy, high-pitched voice.

“Now for the big announcement. Although we typically have at least three nominations from the men of the Katy football team, and a school-wide vote for who the Homecoming Queen will be, there was only one nominee this year. The same lucky young woman was nominated by not only the freshman, sophomore, and junior football players, but the seniors as well, which forfeits the need for a vote."

“Geez,” Marcy said, “Who in the world would every class of football players nominate?”

Mrs. Mitchell continued, “It is my distinct privilege to announce that this year’s Katy High Homecoming Queen is . . . ADDISON SCOTT!”

The trigonometry class erupted in applause and Addy felt Marcy grab her in a huge hug. “Of course it would be you! Can you believe it?!” Marcy said.

But Addy couldn’t believe it. She was a junior. It was always a senior who was Homecoming Queen.

Always.

Throughout the rest of the day it seemed as if the entire student body congratulated, hugged, and told Addy how much she deserved the honor—even Cassidy Freeman, who had been on Court her freshman, sophomore, and junior years, and wasn’t the senior maid this year, graced Addy with the rehearsed smile of a pageant queen and a stiff hug. Addy had expected some serious attitude from Cassidy, and was glad to receive the forced sentiments. It was way better than the screaming showdown she had imagined, where Cassidy accused her of sleeping with the starting offensive line in return for the nomination.

By the time Addy aced her French test, finished up Quiz Bowl practice, made the trip to the grocery store, and pulled into the driveway, the shock of the announcement had worn off and was replaced with unadulterated joy. She couldn’t wait to tell her dad. She was even looking forward to Felicia’s reaction, despite the fact that she knew the woman would insist on giving her some sort of herbal hair treatment that smelled like patchouli the day of the Homecoming Parade. So when she walked through the front door, Addy was actually a little disappointed to find that Felicia was nowhere in sight. But the disappointment was quickly tossed aside and Addy reveled in the fact that she was able to share this moment with just her dad.

After they cooked dinner together, and Addy had set the table, they sat down to eat. She had been saving her big news for dinner so that she could properly make the announcement. She was sure he would be thrilled, despite the fact that he wouldn’t understand why it was a big deal. Even in high school Richard had been a genius who was more concerned with astronomy and physics than a high school football game. But she knew that he would still be psyched for her.

Just as she was forming the words to tell him her news, he said in his serious tone, “Addy, I have some news.”

“Well, I have some news too,” she said, mimicking his tone. She quickly added, “But you first. My news can wait.”

He breathed in sharply, and then held his breath for an excruciatingly long ten seconds. “Addy. I’ve been promoted.”

“Oh my God, Dad, that’s awesome! I’m so proud of you!” Addy exclaimed, beaming at him. “You so deserve a promotion. You spend almost every waking moment at NASA helping them develop . . . whatever it is you’re working on.”

She felt bad that she didn’t know, but to be honest, it wasn’t like they had spent much time together lately.

“That’s not all sweetie,” he said, and Addy felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

“Here it comes,” she thought, certain he was going to announce his plans to propose to Felicia.

“The promotion isn’t in Houston. I’m . . . I’m being transferred to the Ames location.”

“Ames,” Addy said slowly, before asking “Where exactly is the Ames location?”

“California,” her dad said quietly.

“Oh. Wow,” said Addy, her head swimming. “Well, you didn’t already take it. Did you?” she asked cautiously, not daring to look him in the eye.

“It’s a huge promotion for me. For us. I couldn’t turn it down, “ he replied.

As Addy tried to digest the information, she realized her eyes were brimming with tears. She tried to hold them back, but that just made the urge to cry stronger.

Finally Addy asked, “What about Felicia?” hiccoughing before she said the dreaded woman’s name. Richard took off his rimless glasses and rubbed his eyes. “She’s not coming. I asked her to, but she said that she can’t imagine leaving Texas.”

“Neither can I,” Addy whispered.

“Addy, I’m so sorry,” her dad said, placing his hand on top of hers. “But I really think this is the best decision for our family.”

She couldn’t believe that he had accepted without consulting her first. It was just so . . . selfish. Didn’t he realize that she loved her life? The next, burning question was one Addy didn’t want to ask. But she had to.

“So . . . when do we move?” she asked, finally looking up from her chicken fried steak and straight into her dad’s eyes. He looked away. “Saturday.”

It was already Wednesday.

“The company hired movers, so you don’t have to worry about packing. And I can contact the school so you don’t have to tell them. And if you want to stay with Marcy the rest of the week, or have her stay here, that’s fine by me,” he said, hoping that concession would somehow ease the pain that was so visible on his daughter’s face.

As Addy tried to stomach all of the information, she realized tears were streaming down her face and off of her nose, and that she was making those stifled gulps in the back of her throat that sound like an oinking piglet. She was sure her mascara was all over her face, but she didn’t even bother to wipe it away.

Finally her dad said gently, “Now what was your news?"

****

All right, so that's chapter one! If you find yourself wanting MORE of Addy's story (oh, wishful thinking!) there are six chapters already up over on Figment. And I would love love love to have your feedback on this (good, bad, or ugly), as I'm currently my only editor and in desperate need of additional eyes on this. :)

Happy Saturday!

TGIF: Books I'd like to See as TV Shows

2011-09-09T00:37:00.002-04:00

'ello lovelies.

This week, the wonderful Ginger at GReadsBooks has asked:

Which books would you love to see made in to a tv series? or movie?

Now, I'm something of a film and television aficionado. Which basically means that I watch a lot of Netflix and have taken a couple pop culture criticism courses (read: have a Master's degree in Arts Journalism.) So, I tend to think EVERYTHING should be a television show or movie.

But, the more I read, the more I find that's not quite true. There are so many books that have been adapted to (especially) movies or (less especially) television shows that have gotten SO SCREWED UP because the screenwriters change things or the actress isn't quite what you hoped the character would be or your favorite scene in the book was cut from the movie for some stupid reason that I have sort of become anti-book to film medium. I just can't seem to trust screenwriters with my beloved books.*

But that doesn't mean I don't think about these things.

So, here are the carefully considered books I'd really love to see on either the big or small screen, but only if they are done with thoughtful care and with the loving permission of the author, who has preferably adapted their own screenplay and/or given their blessing. :)

1. Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz

I'd love to see this as a TV series. Preferably on the CW and not MTV.

2. The Magicians by Lev Grossman

I had some issues with this book, but I think it would make an INCREDIBLE film. But, I could also see it as a really compelling and totally different-feeling TV show.

3. The Curse Workers series by Holly Black

I'd loooooove to see this as films. But only if Jesse Eisenberg would play Cassel. Now that I've heard him narrate the audiobook, he will always and forever be my Cassel.

4. Paper Towns by John Green (But, really, anything by John Green.)

There have been lots of movie rumors about his novels being turns into films, and I know that film rights have been sold for, I think, all of his books thus far. And while any one of them would translate to the screen well, I really, really want the visual of a house full of black Santas.

5. Geek Fantasy Novel by E. Archer

If written by the right people (read: Jane Espenson and the rest of the Joss Whedon crew) and acted by the right actors, this could be ALL KINDS OF AWESOME.

Aaaand that's my list! Let me know which books you'd like to see in theaters in comments. TGIF!

*If some of my favorite books and top reads of this past year were to become films or TV shows, I would be ECSTATIC for the authors and would wholeheartedly support it with my dollars and viewership. But if it gets screwed up because of those pesky Hollywood types, I will be verbally ninja-kicking them on this here bloggy-blog.

Review: Legend

2011-09-08T00:00:00.002-04:00

Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Pages: 336
Release Date: November 29, 2011
Format: ARC via Good Choice Reading Blog Tour

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.
From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.—Goodreads

I'm not normally one for dystopian stories, but I'd heard great things about Legend and wanted to give it a try. And I am so so so glad I did because, y'all. This book is great.

June is incredibly cool—smart and sexy with observation skills that are straight up Sherlock Holmesian. And, of course, she's special. Having made the only perfect score on record of the test that all children in the Republic are required to take to determine their future, she's basically a celebrity. But she's not nearly as famous as Day, a sly criminal who is a Robin Hood figure for the plague-ridden citizens of the Republic who live in next to deplorable conditions and are denied upward mobility. When she's assigned to find and kill Day once she joins the military, the two meet each other and then things go crazy awesome.

I love the way the story unfolds—I was never quite sure who to trust or what the next moves might be. There was one character in particular that I just couldn't get a good read on and whose motives I was constantly trying to figure out. Though that may have bothered others, I really dug it—it kept me on my toes while reading.

Overall, I really enjoyed Legend. It's a fast paced, methodical, smart, and really entertaining murder mystery/conspiracy novel. Additionally, the descriptions of the clothing are all a little steampunky, which is always welcome. (Bring on the goggles, that's what I say!) So whether you're a die hard dystopia fan or a person looking for a good read, I highly, highly recommend picking up Legend when it comes out in November. Ooh! November! That means it could be a Christmas present! So, there ya go. A copy of Legend for everyone you know. Christmas shopping=finished. :)

Waiting on Wednesday: Out of Sight, Out of Time

2011-09-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls #5)
Author: Ally Carter
Publisher: Hyperion
Pages: 272
Release Date: March 20, 2012

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan—an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.—Goodreads

So there's this series of books about awesome spy girls-in-training that I'm all kinds of obsessed with. And the newest book in the series finally has a title and a release date (the week of my 25th birthday!!) and a synopsis.

That book is Out of Sight, Out of Time.

I seriously love this series. It's so so so much fun. And I'm so ready to hang out with Cammie and Zach and the rest of the Gallagher girls again. But, alas, I have to wait until MARCH.

*sigh*

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Tune In Tuesday: The Warblers

2011-09-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

So, I have this weird on again, off again relationship with Glee. Sometimes I really super love the show and other times I want to head butt it.

But no matter what my swinging opinions are about the episodes or writing or guest stars, I have to admit that the musical arrangements and vocal performances are usually pretty awesome.

Lately I've fallen in LOVE with The Warblers' cover of one of my favorite Keane songs, "Somewhere Only We Know."

Like, I can put it on repeat for hours and not get sick of it.

So now I'm sharing it with y'all. And while I recommend putting it on repeat, listening to it once is also a good move.

Also: I love Darren Criss. And think he should play Magnus in the City of Bones movie. Just sayin'.

Aaaand just for funsies, here's The Warblers version of Destiny Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills."

Yay for a short work/school week! I hope everyone had a lovely Labor Day weekend!

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Review: Drink, Slay, Love

2011-09-05T12:25:00.000-04:00

Title: Drink, Slay, Love

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (Simon& Schuster)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: September 13, 2011

Format: eGalley via S&S Galley Grab

Pearl is a sixteen-year-oldvampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until thenight a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn.Oops.   Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because,obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They'reeven more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But theyquickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of NewEngland has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in highschool, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast—asthe entrees.   The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of aconscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy whomakes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if shelets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?—Goodreads

When I first started reading theunfortunately titled Drink, Slay, Love, I was very dubious—I really like the vampire genre and wasn't too crazy about throwing unicorns in with them.But, Sarah Beth Durst's unconventional take on the genre wooed me and I endedup having a really good time with this book. And by good time, I mean that I laughed out loud (on a plane) A LOT.

To create her vampire-infused version of Connecticut, Durst takes a little vampire lore from the vast canon of vampireliterature (she even names one of the characters Charlaine, surely in"honor" of Charlaine Harris. I say "honor" becauseCharlaine in the book isn't treated with very much care.), as well as from Buffy,adds in a unicorn, and churns out a witty romp of a novel.

The main character, Pearl, is a lot offun. She's vampy (in both senses of the word), intelligent, great with sardonicone-liners, and is all kinds of kick ass. And unlike other teenage vampires whohave gone to high school, she relishes the opportunity and treats it like ananthropological study rather than sulking about and staring at humans untilthey love her. In fact, Durst does a great job in channeling Mean Girls andHeathers into the book via Pearl's "I am superior to all ofyou and you WILL bow to me" attitude, which is obviously problematic forthe Queen Bee of the school and her adoring minions. It's not so problematicfor Pearl. *grins*

While Pearl's mission from hervampire-mafia type family is to find entrées to feed to the King of New Englandwhen he comes a'calling, she ends up making friends, especially in Evan, theteenage boy who is practically perfect AND has a hero complex (le sigh), and the overly-eager, but cunning Bethany (This is the first time I've encountered myname in a book. It was weird.) who is described as a "dementedkangaroo." (I'm pretty sure people might STILL describe me that way. They definitely would have in high school. I'd like to think I've settled down a bit since then.) Rounding out the human cast are two guys, one of whom is namedZeke (which is the name of my dog. No lie.), who fancy themselves amateurvampire slayers. Unfortunately for Pearl, she realizes that she actually likes these humans and doesn’t reallywant them to be snacks. But she also loves being a vampire and doesn’t want todisappoint her family. And thus the internal struggle/central crux of the plotis born.

Durst does a really great job ofcreating both a human and vampire world that are believable, and I really lovedthe idea of the vampire family that operates like a mafia. It keeps Pearl onher toes and provides a lot of drama to a novel that would have otherwiseprobably been so clichéd that not even Durst's incredible wit could saveit.

Overall, Drink, Slay, Love plays into every high school convention and tropeyou can think of—including a big climactic scene that takes place at, yes, the[junior] prom. While there are moments that feel a bit cheesy and perhaps alittle too formulaic, it's never so heavy-handed that you're rolling your eyesor throwing the book across the room in protest. So if you have it in you toget past the awful title, idea of unicorns in your vampire lore, and vampireswho do more than just brood and bite, you’ll probably end up charmed by Pearl,Evan, Bethany, and the rest of Durst’s hilarious cast. Take it from the girlwho was skeptical at first—this book is wickedly, deliciously fun.

TGIF: Books That Make a Difference

2011-09-02T10:05:00.001-04:00

Well hello there new TGIF graphic. You are nice lookin'. *low whistles*

This week the oh-so lovely Ginger at GReadsBooks has asked:

Which book(s) would you put in the hands of today's teenagers in hopes of making a difference in their lives?

Questions like there are always really hard for me to answer. Part of it is because I tend to avoid books that tackle difficult subjects (yes, that means I haven't read Thirteen Reasons Why) and those are the types of books that I expect a lot of people would recommend. So I'm going to recommend books that I think help make people better. Or at least, books that help people have a greater sense of understanding or humanity.

Consequently, these are the types of books that a lot of teens think of as "required reading." But whatever. These required for a reason, and that's because they're good. So! Here we go!

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Alright, I'm gonna stop there. Although, I should probably add in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street. And Voltaire. And Dickens. And more women. And The Beats. But. If I start naming EVERYTHING I think has the ability to make a difference in a person's life, then we'll be here from now 'til kingdom come. So let's call it a day shall we? *grins*

I hope that y'all have all had a wonderful week and that you're gearing up for a languorous long weekend! TGIF!

Review: Fury

2011-09-01T00:00:00.010-04:00

Title: Fury

Author: Elizabeth Miles

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 352

Release Date: August 30, 2011

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...

Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better—the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.

On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.

In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.

Em and Chase have been chosen.—Goodreads

When I started Fury, I was totally into it. It's dark and creepy and mysterious. I was hoping the book would be a pleasurable romp through the revenge the Furies take on the teenagers in the town of Ascension, Maine, but instead I got a story of what happens when two teenagers make mistakes—one seemingly more serious than the other—and, though they try to atone for their mistakes, they just . . . can't. It was a bit of a hard pill to swallow.

The two teenagers in question are Em, a popular girl from a well-to-do family who is harboring a crush on Zach, her best friend's boyfriend, and Chase, the popular quarterback raised by a widowed mother who works at a gas station, who is harboring a lot of angst and anger toward most people at his high school.

Though I liked both Em and Chase well enough, what makes them interesting main characters is that they are flawed and mostly unlikeable. They both do things that they seriously regret, but instead of being able to apologize and move on, they are targeted by the Furies, the three women of Greek mythology who have the power to claim mortal lives so as to take revenge for sins committed against other mortals. And the Furies are hell-bent on claiming Em and Chase.

What makes the book sort of weird is the tone of it all—it's bleak not only in theme, but in setting as well. That's not to say that Fury is a book without hope. There are light moments and characters that help with comic and romantic relief (J.D.!!!! <3). But, ultimately, the story isn't happy. However, the last page is incredibly satisfying for the reader. Like, in the same way the credits of Jennifer's Body are satisfying. *grins*

In a way, Fury is a cautionary tale for teenagers. At the heart of the story is the fact that humans aren't perfect and that actions, even those made as a teenager, have consequences. Miles does a great job of harnessing the type of tragedy found in the Greek epics and weaving it into her story—all of the characters change and learn lessons, but the change comes with a price and the lessons are ones that suck to learn.

I'll admit that toward the middle of the novel I got a little discouraged in my reading, but, luckily, that didn't last. Overall, I really liked Fury even though it wasn't the let's-have-fun-with-revenge romp I was hoping it would be. Miles does a fantastic job creating a modern Greek tragedy that isn't so tragic it's depressing. And you'll definitely find yourself gasping at situations and yelling at Em and Chase throughout this book. That part is actually fun. So if you're in the market for a mysterious, not-so-happy novel where the author masterfully applies the idea of Greek tragedy to modern life, then pick up Fury.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare

2011-08-31T00:00:00.001-04:00

Title: The Fine Art of Truth or Dare
Author: Melissa Jensen
Publisher: Speak
Pages: 272
Release Date: February 16, 2012

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that’s just fine by her. She’s got her friends— the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She’s got her art— and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it’s hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they’re dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?—Goodreads

LOOK. AT THAT. ADORABLE. COVER!!!!!!

Ok, I'm a sucker for things that have to do with art because I'm a big art history nerd. So as soon as I saw this cover and the title I knew that I was just INTO this book. And then I saw that it's written by Melissa Jensen and I perked up even more because she wrote Falling in Love with English Boys, which I found to be super charming and fun.

From the description, I'm not quite sure if the actual game of truth or dare has anything to do with the book, but, really, who cares. The title is adorable and the cover is adorable and I like the name Ella and I like the French language.

Basically, I can't wait to read this. Even if it is to just stare at the cover.

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Tune In Tuesday: Even More 90s Jams!

2011-08-30T09:05:00.001-04:00

It's official: 90s jams are the best.

They're fun and sometimes hilarious and they allow us all to be nostalgic about things from our (well, my) childhood.

And my childhood included a lot of country music.

So, here are a couple of my fave country jams from the '90s. *fingerguns*

Listening to this song as an adult, I realize just how cheeky it is. It makes me like it that much MORE.

I used to BELT this sucker with my mom on road trips. :)

Yeah, this song is still good. It is also perhaps the reason why I'm a proponent of daily wine consumption.

*grins*

Ok, I'ma stop now. Hopefully I've demonstrated that if you EVER need a recommendation for a 90s country song, I'm the girl who can give it to you.

Happy Tuesday!

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

Reactionary Reading: Shade & Shift

2011-08-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

Writing book reviews can be really, really hard. Lately, it seems as if some of my favorite things about books, or some of my gut reactions to things that occur, don't make it into my reviews either because they don't make sense in the "review aspect" or because I don't want to give things away.

However, I recently wrote a review for both Shade and Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready and for some reason I couldn't get the tone of the review to capture how much fun I had while reading the books.

So I've decided to publish my reading notes. Yep, that's right—I take notes as I read. Typically I use those notes to help guide me when I'm writing reviews, but sometimes (I think) my notes are really, really amusing and very in-the-moment. They include everything from favorite quotes to my gut reactions to tangential musings, and sometimes provide absolutely no context to what is actually happening in the book. Suffice it to say, they are kind of random.

But BE WARNED! I have gone through and redacted major spoiler information. (Yep, just like the government does.) If you've read the books, or if you don't care about being spoiled, feel free to highlight the redacted portions so you can read the text. (It's like a game! Sort of.) But there might still be minor spoilers involved. So if you're the type that hates knowing things before you read, DO NOT PROCEED. And please keep in mind that this is all in good fun and are just my thoughts and opinions.

All right, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let's get this show on the road!

May I present, my reading notes.

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

p. 33: For some reason, I'm finding the fact that Logan is all proud of his Irish heritage and the fact that Zachary is Scottish, really hilarious. I don't know when or why, but at some point in my life I decided that the Irish and the Scots don't like each other and that they're constantly feuding. So the Logan/Zach heritage business is highly funny and makes competitive sense to me.

p. 60: I really have no idea if I'd want my dead boyfriend to just be dead so that I could mourn and move on, or to stick around so that I could still be with him. Geeeeez.

p. 69: I also have no idea if I could get my ass out of bed to work on a school project two days after my boyfriend had died, even if a dude with a Scottish accent was involved. I'm thinking no.

p. 80: I think I like Eowyn mucho. And the whole thing with Zach switching his teacup with Aura's so she could have strength? So super sweet.

p. 106: Yeah, I really don't think I'd be okay with my dead boyfriend hanging out with me in the middle of his funeral. It'd be all too . . . antithetical. I think my mind would explode. My heart def would.

p. 110: You know, I really like that both Aura and Megan have after-school jobs.

p. 119: Oh praise God. I'm glad Gina is there to voice the way I feel about the dead boyfriend ghost business. I don't feel bitchy and coldhearted anymore.

p. 132: "Back at the bookshelf, Eowyn flipped up one of the posters and pinned it to the frame of the shelf, which contained old, leather-bound, musty-looking books, the kind that make you want to roll around in them. (Well, that make me want to roll around in them. but I'm weird.)" I'M SO LIKE THIS ABOUT BOOKS. *bounces*

p. 156: Maybe I didn't make up the animosity between Ireland/Scotland! Or maybe the animosity is just a Logan/Zach one and Logan is using any information he knows about the two countries to fuel it. I guess that's possible.

p. 182: Relationships are so fucked up.

p. 185: Hey there, female masturbation scene. (!!!!)

You know. I'm a little tired of the Logan side of this story. I really want to know more about Aura's mom's missing journal entries and how she knew Eowyn . . .

p. 190: Oh good! The birthday twin business is going to be talked about. I have been waiting for this.

p. 192: Holy shit. Every minute four hundred babies are born. That is insane. And gross. And incredible. *Googles to verify* Oh hell, every website says something different. I will just TRUST Jeri Smith-Ready and her editors.

p. 194: Zach really is the most patient—and most honest—guy ever.

Zach: " . . . but he didn't tell me to join your research project. That was my idea. . . . So was falling for you."
Aura: " . . . Falling for me?"
Zach: "Come on, you're not blind."

And then he just lets it go and moves on! It's the most low-key declaration of feelings ever made. Which I love, actually.

p. 210: Oh good. SPY DAD! I'm actually really excited to meet him.

p. 214: OMG. Zach and his dad (Ian, whom I might be in love with . . . this remains to be seen) are yelling at each other in deep Scottish accents. I can only imagine Craig Ferguson and James McAvoy yelling at each other. Not that those particular actors would ever play father/son (since they're only like ten years apart) but, I think they may be the only Scottish actors I can identify with certainty as Scottish off the top of my head. (OH! Sean Connery. But maybe he's too old at this point?) Anyway. I like it the thought of them yelling at each other in deep Scottish accents.

p. 219: Alright. Now I'm uber-curious about Aura's mom/dad situation. Time for theories!:

Aura's mom met a ghost, fell in love, somehow had ghosty sex, and then had Aura, which caused the Shift. So, Aura's dad is a ghost. Maybe he's a famous ghosty. No, that would just be too much.
Maybe Aura's mom had sex in one of those monolith cave thingies. And that caused the Shift. Hmm. But how shall that explain the Zach/Aura thing about them being the only ones borned on their respective minutes? Hmmmm. HMMMM.

p. 222: OMG. Ian and Maria (Aura's mom's name) had met before:
Ian: "We were once in the same place together. The circumstances of our children's births, I believe, are connected by an event that happened to us—an event I cannot, for security reasons, elaborate upon." O_O

OMG OMG OMG. HERE WE GO.

p. 245: YODA PUPPET!

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

p. 14: WHAT WHAT WHAT. Oh this changes things.

p. 26: Yeah, I'm still far more interested in the Zach/Aura/Shift origin story and the backstory re: their parents than I am about Logan...

p. 29: Zachary is the nicest, most understanding guy ever.

p. 46: Oh, I like angry Zach. And Aura needs to hear it.

p. 89: I wanna go to Ireland...

p. 104: Wait. Zach and Logan can't be around each other since Zach is all ghost-repellant. And while I like the idea of the three of them working together on the thesis, it isn't possible...right?

Oh nevermind. Aura worked that part out.

p. 111: I am so freaking intrigued by the Ian/Maria connection at Newgrange I can hardly freaking stand it.

p. 132: I really, really like Megan. Between the yoda puppet and the umpire joke, I think I want her to be my bestie.

p. 135: Yay! My Scots vs. Irish competition idea is still intact!

p. 151: Ok. Where is Eowyn? WANT. EOWYN.

YAY EOWYN!!!!

p. 161: If the light in the cave on the winter solstice can make a wish come true, what if Aura's mom's wish was to have a baby?! And Aura is some sort of divine conception sitch?! Which means she is like Jesus! Oh boy.

p. 163: OH HAI, FIONA!

p. 173: I want to punch Mickey in his stupid ass face.

p. 176: KIIIIIIIIIILT!!!!!!

p. 177: Oh how I loathe Becca and her slutty, slutty sluttiness. Although, let's be honest, if I were Becca and at prom with Zach, I'm sure I'd be all kinds of slutty, slutty, slutty too.

OMG, and it only got worse with that bathroom scene! I hate girls. Girls are awful, horrible bitches.

p. 192: Awe, Dylan.

p. 195: Haha. Scotty, beaming. I might be Team Dylan.

p. 205: I am SOOOOOO TEAM DYLAN.

p. 207: Is it bad that I think it's funny Aura is hungover after just three beers?

p. 223: Okay. I'm super Team Dylan. But I don't want Aura to hurt him. And that's the only way that's going to end....Dylan needs to go hook up with that Amy chick.

p. 249: LITTLE LION MAN!!!! <3

p. 251: Spooky, investigative scavenger hunt. Hell. Yes.

p. 272: Oh holy shit. I think Aura's dad is a ghost. Or maybe he turns corporeal and he and her mom had sexy times before he turned back to ghost. Either way. WHAT.

OH I THINK I AM RIGHT.

p. 277: I AM RIIIIIIIGHT.

p. 293: Oh no. Was Zach shot?!

Oh ok, he wasn't. Whew!

p. 318: These two are far more vocal about sex and feelings than I ever was at their age. I mean, of course, they're fictional, so of course they are. But. Still.

p. 326: Wait. Did she just give him a hand job? Or did they have sex?

Ok. After the re-read, I have determined: Hand Job.

And then I think they had sex?

Oh, nope. They had no sex.

p. 349: Awe. I actually really loved the Logan concert. I thought I'd hate it and his diva-ness, but it was really cool.

p. 358: :)

p. 367: SUCH a good last line!!!!

Tune In Tuesday: More 90s Jams

2011-08-23T07:40:00.001-04:00

More 90s you say?

I'm good with that.

Let's keep last week's theme up and turn to the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann's FREAKING FANTASTIC 1996 film version of Romeo + Juliet. People, this soundtrack holds up.

First and foremost, it features Radiohead's "Talk Show Host" as Romeo's theme throughout the film. As much as Radiohead probably wouldn't like this, this incredibly gorgeous, haunting song was my introduction to their music.

But Radiohead wasn't the only crazy awesome band featured on this soundtrack. There's also this darkly catchy tune by Garbage.

And now for something a little less moody just plain fun: The Cardigan's "Lovefool," which played on the radio all the dang time and annoyed the hell out of my mom, and is still awesome.

Aaaand now that I've stopped dancing, I desperately want to watch this movie. If you've never seen it, you should definitely look into it picking it up or Netflixing it or straight up buying it. Because it is and AWESOME film. And the music is AWESOME. And Paul Rudd is in it. (As well as, you know, pre-Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio.)

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.

TGIF: The Reviews I Didn't Write

2011-08-19T00:00:00.008-04:00

Well hello there.

This week, Ginger at GReadsBooks has asked:

"Have you ever read a book and not wanted to review it? Are some books too personal that we want to keep our thoughts our own?"

There are actually a bunch of books I've read and then decided to not review. Most of the time it's because I've either not been sure what to say or I didn't really have anything to say, if that makes any sense.

I'll give you an example(s).

I'm a huge fan of the wonderful Miss Cassandra Clare and really love The Mortal Instruments series, just like the rest of the YA-reading world. So when City of Fallen Angels came out back in April, I devoured the book. But when I finished, there had been SO MUCH buzz and discussion and chatter about COFA that I realized a) other people had already said the things that I thought about the book, many times better than I could, and b) I had nothing interesting or original to contribute to the discussion. And so I read it, tweeted about it a bit, and then moved on.

Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods series is another good example. I only recently read them and I LOVE them. OMG. But I never reviewed them because a) they'd been out for YEARS, and b) I wasn't really even sure how to go about reviewing them. My review would basically have said, "So, there's this series about vampires/angels, but it is also sort of Gossip Girl-ish in approach, and I totally dig it." However. I will probably post a review of Lost in Time when it comes out next month, even if the review is just "AJFKDJFIUIOELH$#**%^%& I LOVE THIS SERIES." *grins*

Another group of books I've never really written about on this blog are books that aren't considered YA. For example, I recently read Kathryn Stockett's The Help and Lev Grossman's The Magicians. While I probably wouldn't have reviewed The Help, as I'm glad I read it but don't necessarily have much to say about it, and I actually do have thoughts on The Magicians . . . but I'm not sure if it necessarily fits in with the tone and audience of this particular blog? But, then again. It's MY blog. So maybe you'll see a review of The Magicians on here in the next week or so. Who knows!

So. Yeah. I tend to post reviews of books for which I have concrete thoughts—good or bad—that can actually be explained in a mostly coherent manner. And I've never come across a book that was too personal for me to write about. At least not yet. But I'm fairly forthcoming about stuff like that, so I don't necessarily think that would be an issue for me.

Anyhow! The moral of the story is I tend to not review books that I either like a whole bunch or don't know how to review. Because, let's be honest, sometimes you just think "I liked it." or "I didn't like it." and that's all there really is to say.

I hope y'all had a freakin' fantabulous week and that you have a very relaxing weekend planned! TGIF!

Review: Shade and Shift

2011-08-18T09:49:00.000-04:00

Titles: Shade and Shift
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Dates: May 4, 2010 (Shade);

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.—Goodreads

After hearing soooo much about these books (and the Scottish slice of mancake that is Zachary) I finally, finally, finally read the first two books in the Shade series by the Twitter-loving Jeri Smith-Ready.

After finishing Shade, the first book in the series, I was actually sort of . . . not in love with the book the way I wanted to be. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but I wanted Logan to just freaking pass on already and let Aura get on with her life (preferably with Zach, the most patient teenage boy ever written). And then I felt bad for feeling like that because if MY boyfriend up and died, and I had the option of having him around forever as a ghost, I really don't know what I would ultimately want. Anyhow, by the end of Shade I actually found myself much more interested in the storyline regarding Aura and Zach's project on The Shift than I was the love story aspect.

And then I read Shift. And holy cow did this book change things for me. The second book in the series deals much more with the idea of The Shift and the logistics of how and why it happened, thus satiating my desire for that—and you learn more about Aura's mother, who died when Aura was three, but left behind a very frustrating journal, full of missing pages, describing her time in Ireland about a year before Aura was born. In just this regard, I enjoyed Shift way, way more than I did Shade.

But onto the love story aspect. Logan is still around in Shift and actually plays a big role in helping Aura and Zach with their project as there are some DISCOVERIES that are made because of Logan. And though Aura still struggles with her feelings throughout the book, because who wouldn't, I actually liked the way Smith-Ready handled it. It's very obvious that Aura is torn, and that if Logan was still alive she would absolutely be with him, and wouldn't have thought twice about Zach. (Feel free to argue with me about that in comments.) But because Logan isn't alive and needs to pass on, Zach is definitely on Aura's mind a lot. However, she doesn't really pursue him until she resolves her lingering feelings for her lingering ghost of a boyfriend.

Alright, so other things in these books:

I have to talk about Logan's siblings, specifically Dylan. Although I do like Mickey and Siobhan, I adore Dylan and he really, really stood out in Shift. About halfway through, Aura decides to ask Dylan to go to prom with her, and though that seems a little weird (I mean, he's her dead boyfriend's little brother) he ended up being the best prom date EVER. Dylan is definitely the stand-out character for me.

However! I also really love Megan, Aura's best friend and girlfriend of Mickey. Megan is the kind of girl who would have no qualms about getting in a fist fight to defend her friends. She's kind of a hard ass, but she's really funny and has a Yoda puppet (!!!) and is just an all-around incredible friend.

And now we discuss the music, which plays a huge, huge role in this book. So huge, in fact, that Miss Smith-Ready has playlists for the books on her website. You should check them out because they are great. Logan's family, the Keeleys, are all uber musical (except for Dylan) and before Logan died were in a very successful Irish punk band. So, music is discussed a whole bunch. And there is a reference to Mumford and Sons. And I want to borrow Smith-Ready's iPod and steal all her music.

Oh! You also need to know that Zach wears a kilt to the prom. It's AWESOME.

Overall, these books are solid and actually very different in tone than are a lot of YA novels. Smith-Ready is great at crafting characters who are flawed, but still loveable (i.e., Mickey. And Logan. And, actually, Aura.) And though Zach is the most "perfect" of the characters, he's not a YA male who is so perfect that he could never actually exist. (There's hope for us accent-lovin' ladies yet!) So yeah. I like these. And I'm VERY excited to read Shine!

Waiting on Wednesday: Black Heart

2011-08-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Black Heart (Curse Workers series)
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)
Release Date: April 3, 2012

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy.

But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.—Goodreads

I. Love. This. Series.

When the lovely and wholly fantastic Miss Holly Black posted the first teaser from Black Heart on Monday, you best believe that I sort of . . . freaked out. It's not even a long quote. It's a blip, really. But it's a lovely, gorgeous, effing incredible blip that will make you want to devour the other two books, White Cat and Red Glove. (And, really, you probably should. Well, not literally devour. Whatever, y'all know what I mean.) Anyhow, the takeaway is this: I want to read this book real bad. And not in April. Which seems hella-far away, since it's, you know, currently August. *le sigh*

What books are you waiting on this week? Lemme know in comments!

Waiting on Wednesday is weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Tune In Tuesday: 90s Edition!

2011-08-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

Alright,y'all. I really, really, REALLY like music from the '90s. Which actually makes this Tune in Tuesday a little tough for me because there are just so many frakkin' songs to choose from.

So, I think . . . I think I shall pull up my "90s Jams" playlist on iTunes and let iTunes randomly choose the song for me. (I really love that iTunes can make decisions for me.)

Ooooh, iTunes chose a good one! Ok, so now that I know the song, I'll give it a bit of an introduction.

This song is from the soundtrack of Reality Bites, a film I think is maybe the most 90's-tastic movie around. [I admit, THAT is a very bold statement. I think I mean most 90's-tastic in terms of attitude and tone] It captures the angst and uncertainty and the "oh-wow-growing-up-sucks" part of growing up and finding out that life after college is a really insecure place to find yourself. And this song really captures that as well. So, without further ado, here is the wonderful Miss Lisa Loeb.

And now I will give you a BONUS VIDEO of an entirely different genre. Because I FEEL like it. *grins madly*

If that doesn't have you chair dancing, I don't know what will.

Happy Tuesday!

Tune In Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Ginger at GReadsBooks.