Cover Judge

Cover Judge is a weekly feature that spotlights the dazzling covers of the books on my ever-growing reading wishlist.

Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

Release: March 1, 2011

Synopsis: 

Playing Hurt centers on two former athletes: Chelsea Keyes, a basketball star whose promising career has been catastrophically snipped short by a horrific accident on the court, and Clint Morgan, an ex-hockey player who gave up his much-loved sport following his own game-related tragedy.

Chelsea meets Clint (who's working as a resort fishing guide) soon after arriving with her family for a summer vacation in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota. Sparks fly, igniting the pages, even though Chelsea has a boyfriend back home in Missouri...and even though Clint has sworn never to put himself in the position to be hurt emotionally again.

Their unlikely romance has the potential to heal their heartache and force Chelsea and Clint to realize just how timidly they've been living - but are they really ready to give themselves completely to one another? How will the weeks spent in another man's arms play into Chelsea's feelings for her boyfriend when she returns home? Will Clint allow himself to fall for a woman who's bound to leave him at the end of her summer vacation? By playing hurt - entering into a romance with already-broken hearts - are they just setting themselves up for the kind of injury from with they could never recover? Will Chelsea and Clint pull away from each other before they have a chance to find out just how beautiful their story could be?

Cover: I love the simplicity of this cover. The cool colors of the white slats on the dock and pale blue sky above give the entire cover a crisp, clean appearance. Similarly, the two pairs of crossed legs are simple, yet pretty. To me, the cover just screams summer. It's gorgeous without being overwhelming, and if I saw it in stores, I'd most definitely pick it up. I particularly like its similarity to the covers of Deb Caletti and Sarah Dessen's earlier books. It's a very wise marketing decision on the part of the cover designers, as fans of such chick lit will most definitely be attracted to the subtle similarities. 

Weekend of Epic-ness: Maggie Stiefvater

My second and final event of the weekend was Not Your Mother’s Book Club’s private party for Maggie Stiefvater! Stiefvater has been on my bucket list of authors to meet, and I was overjoyed to be able to attend the party.

As it was a private party, the event was hosted offsite at a yogurt shop in Burlingame, called Blush. The shop’s décor was all a lovely green that matched the green-inked books wonderfully. The NYMBC staff also tied green balloons to all the tables, giving the room an even more festive feel. It was the perfect fit for a Linger party!

Admission to the event included delicious yogurt, a finished copy of Linger, and a chance to mingle with Stiefvater. In the beginning, everyone settled in around tables and booths scattered throughout the shop. While Stiefvater made her way from group to group, I was able to talk with the people at my table, all of whom were incredibly cool. There is nothing better than going to an author signing, because you’re basically in a room full of booklovers just like you. With such a high concentration of booklovers, you end up with a lot of great conversations. There’s nothing quire like discussing revising, writing, blogging, and books like Shiver and The Hunger Games with other avid readers and lovers of YA.

When Stiefvater arrived at our group’s table, she entertained us with some great anecdotes. If you’ve ever read her blog, you know that Stiefvater is rather hilarious and has many stories to tell. We got to hear about when she found out Linger had debuted as #1 on the NYT Bestsellers List (YAY!), how she met her husband, and what happened when she spoke to a group of British school children while in the UK. She also told us that she’s been researching cliffs for one of the three stand-alone novels that she’s working on for Scholastic, which will be published after Forever. By the way, UK cliffs apparently beat California cliffs. Boo.

Rachael (Book Love Teen) and me after the event.

After making her way around to all the groups, Stiefvater opened up the floor to a group Q&A session. This is when the real fun began. It seems that no matter the question, Stiefvater can come up with something hilarious to say.

One of the questions asked was why she decided for the wolves to change in response to the temperature, rather than the full moon. If you don’t already know this, Stiefvater is not a fan werewolves. Shiver was the result of a short story she was forced to write for a contest, prior to which she’d never had any intention of writing about smelly, shedding werewolves. “Sorry Team Jacob,” Steifvater teased. “He smells when he gets wet.” One of the other issues she had with werewolves was that she wanted to write something to make people cry. Losing yourself (or your loved one) for a night just isn’t that big of a deal. “(Heck), you can do that with a Heineken.” After a lot of thought, Stiefvater finally arrived on the idea of changing because of the temperature, which would force Grace and Sam apart for half a year.

Another question I found interesting was why she made Grace’s parents the way they are. I know some people have had an issue with what bad parents they are. Ironically, the most “unrealistic” part of the story, according to some people, is actually one of the only realistic things in the novel. Stiefvater shared the story of how, while visiting schools for Lament, she was shocked and surprised by how many latch-key kids there were in the suburbs. It was from the stories of those kids that she constructed Grace’s parents, who don’t see the need to take care of Grace because “she’s yet to set anything on fire.”

Rachael (Book Love Teen) with our extra goody bags.
Oh, and my sister creeping in the background.

Once again, Not Your Mother’s Book Club threw a fabulous private party. The event was planned wonderfully and Stiefvater was absolutely hilarious. And if that was not enough, everyone got a goody bag of ARCs, Shiver/Linger bookmarks, and other goodies at the end of the event.

Sadly, this event was also the last one with my book buddy Rachael from Book Love Teen before she moved away. And, coincidentally, it was also NYMBC’s girl-in-charge, Jennifer Laughran’s last event before she moves to New York for a year. Because of this, she handed off all the leftover balloons and goody bags to Rachael and me at the end of the event, the later of which we pillaged through over a delicious snack of cupcakes.

What a great weekend!

What's Your St@tus? by Katie Finn

Release: July 1, 2010

Others in the Series: Top 8

Source: Big Honcho Media

Sixteen-year-old Madison still loves logging on to Friendverse to see what her BFFs and her cute new boyfriend Nate are up to. But the latest social networking craze is Status Q, which is all about rapid-fire status updates. When one of Mad’s friends has to pull off a high-pressure heist, the gang relies on Status Q to send coded messages to each other…all in the middle of a school dance! Will up-to-the-minute social networking save the day…or lead to good old-fashioned disaster?

In Top 8, Madison MacDonald dealt with the mayhem that ensued after the hacking of her Friendsverse profile (think Facebook). Katie Finn returns to Madison’s world with What’s Your St@tus?, another social networking-themed tale.

I read Top 8 upon its release two years ago. My recollection of it isn’t much, but when I saw that there was a sequel I thought I’d give it a shot. To my dismay, I found myself having to trudge through the novel. Madison quickly got on my nerves with her naïveté. From sending ill-worded status updates to Status Q (think Twitter) to not noticing what was right in front of her, she was a glutton for punishment. The main plot of the book is the result of one of these not-so-smart decisions. By the time I made it midway through the book, I had all but given up on her and just began shaking my head at her cluelessness.

Chick lit is my genre of choice. Always has been, and always will. And while I do enjoy a good dose of high school drama now and then, this book simply heaped it on a little too thick. The main plot of the book is prom-centered. Therein lays my biggest issue with What’s Your St@tus?. I have no problem with the inclusion of prom in a novel, but when it morphs into the main plot it quickly beings to annoy me. The worry over the dress, and the DJ, and the favors, and the location, and loosing the “sacred” crown was just a little too cliché for me. After awhile it just became mind-numbing.

Even with all of these annoyances, I will say that the ending of the book actually held my attention. Madison, in the spirit of a true dynamic character, finally got some sense knocked into her and devised a plan that made me believe she may not have been as clueless as I’d initially thought. Had the rest of the book been anything like the last twenty pages, I may actually have enjoyed reading it.

Between an annoying main character and an irritating plot, I spent most of this book waiting for it to end. And though the ending helped to vindicate it a bit, I do not see myself reading another of these books anytime soon.

2 stars

But How Does that Make you Feel?

Liz from Consumed by Books, a fellow book blogger and friend of mine, recently contacted me for a quote regarding ratings and why I made the decision to use a starred rating system. (You can read the finished post here.) This got me thinking a lot about ratings. Not just why I use them, but what they mean to me.

As I was pondering this, I remembered comments I’d gotten or heard about some of my favorite books. When I ran a survey earlier in the year, one of the people made a comment that they felt some of the books I reviewed were trashy. This isn’t anything new to me; I’ve heard people go after the books I enjoy and review periodically. Chick lit (and YA in general) comes under fire from time to time. For example, I’ve heard a lot of people call the Gallagher Girls series, which I love, “fluff.” They all say they enjoy it, but it’s not anything heavy or serious. It’s just a potato chip book.

The combination of ratings and comments about “trashy” or “fluffy” books really got me thinking about how I rate. To the naked eye, a rating is merely numbers, but there’s a lot more beneath the surface. Liz’s post does a wonderful job of discussing ratings. I’d highly suggest reading it if you want to get different bloggers’ points of view on the use of ratings. That is not what this post is for, though. This is about quality vs. enjoyment.

When I started my blog, my goal was to help teens (and all lovers of YA) find books they’ll love. I am not here to comment on the “quality” of a book. I am not a literary scholar nor do I have a degree in literature. I’m not delusional enough to think that I have anywhere near enough experience to say whether or not a book is a literary masterpiece. And, heck, I don’t want to.

As any current or former high school student knows, some of the best literature ever created isn’t all that interesting. You have to read it, yes, but that doesn’t mean you always have to enjoy it. I love reading classic literature. However, I too have encountered some titles that I just cannot stand. That doesn’t mean they’re not brilliant works of literature, it just means that I’m not going to be reading them for fun anytime soon. Similarly, some of the most wildly popular books aren’t all that great quality-wise. Twilight may be one of the biggest books of our time, but we all know it’s no Hemingway.

You see, I appreciate quality, but that’s not what my blog is about nor is that what my ratings are about. When I review a book, it’s feeling that means the most. A five star book, to me, does not employ a whole host of literary devices, it doesn’t cause me to think about man’s true purpose on this earth, and it may not change the way I see the world. What it does do, however, is capture me. Five star books are the books that I cannot put down, that have me thinking about them long after I finish, that make me smile when I see someone pick up a copy at the bookstore, that have me sobbing or gasping for breath or laughing hysterically because I’m so enthralled.

Reviewing a book and loving a book is not always about the overall quality of a story, it’s about the way the book makes you feel. Because, if you’re anything like me, months after you’ve turned that last page, you won’t be remembering that fabulous foreshadowing or incredible moral. You’ll be remembering that heart pounding climax and the way it made you feel.

What do you think? Is quality more important than feeling to you? Or vice versa?

Weekend of Epic-ness: Ally Carter

I’ve met Gallagher Girls and Heist Society author Ally Carter multiple times, and it amazes me that every time I meet her, I learn something new. Her July 23^rd event at the Stonestown Borders in San Francisco was no different.

With the event being my third, you’d think I’d be bored with all the repeat information, and yet I was not. It kicked off with a Q&A session with the audience, where I broke the ice with the not-so-brilliant question, “Will there be another Heist Society novel?” Yes I knew the answer to my question before I asked it, but someone had to break the ice. (For those of you wondering, there will be another Heist sometime next year). Once the awkwardness of having to ask the first question was out of the way, hands began shooting up. And like Carter said at the start of the event, her fans ask some great questions.

There were the standard questions, of course. Where’d the idea for Gallagher Girls come from? (Watching Alias) Zach, Hale, or Josh? (Mr. Solomon) Will there be movies? (Heist, maybe. Love You, Kill You, nope.)

Other than those, however, most of the questions (and answers) were new to me. For example, Carter shared the story of where the idea for Heist Society had come from, a story I’d never heard before. She also admitted that even though she seems to always write series, she’d like to write a standalone novel after Heist and Gallagher Girls.

One of the biggest topics of the evening was naming. Fans asked about the selection of names for everything from the spy schools in the Gallagher Girls series, to the next Heist book. I was surprised to hear that the idea for the name of Blackthorn Academy actually came to Carter in a dream, and that prior to that someone at the publishing house had dubbed the school the Frome Academy. Personally, I’m very pleased that Blackthorn won. Frome just doesn’t roll off the tongue like Blackthorn. In addition to this, Carter shared two alternative Gallagher Girls titles, one of which was almost used in the series. My favorite of the two, unfortunately, can never be used because it’s not exactly appropriate. It’s too bad, because the title is rather funny.

Once the Q&A session wrapped up, everyone got in line to get their books signed and pose for pictures with Carter. Overall, it was a great event filled with great questions. I’m so happy that I was able to see Ally Carter again and learn more about her wonderful series.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Release: July 13, 2010

Others in the Series: Shiver

Source: Borrowed ARC/Purchased

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

With Linger comes the addition of two new narratives – Isabel and Cole. The former is not new to the world of Mercy Falls. As Jack’s sister, she played a key supporting role in Shiver. The latter, however, is a completely new character, unknown to readers. Both narratives offered a unique look at the characters. It was wonderful to get to see some of the events through Isabel’s eyes. In Shiver, she caught my attention as a highly complex character, who was hiding behind her popular girl façade. After the death of her brother, I knew she’d grow ever more complicated, and it made her narrative all the more intriguing to read. Likewise, I greatly enjoyed Cole’s fresh voice. It was everything that Sam and Grace’s are not – edgy, sharp, quick to the point, and devil-may-care.

Not only was Cole’s narrative a great addition, his character in general brought a lot to the story. He was a great foil to Sam’s character, just as Isabel is to Grace. Through their interactions, more of Sam’s history is ascertained and you get to see a new side of him. Together, Isabel and Cole brought a lot to the story, peppering in witty banter and dark humor amidst the more serious events of the novel.

As for Sam and Grace, I think Stiefvater did an excellent job of continuing on their story. Even though I would’ve loved for it to have been all rainbows and puppies, she acknowledged a lot of the issues that still clouded or had the potential to cloud their relationship. The individual characters of both Sam and Grace are also more deeply explored. Shiver was very much about the two of them coming together to face their issues. In Linger, they have to deal with them separately, and it allows more breadth for the exploration of their individual characters and what made them who they are. It was wonderful to get to learn more about the two as individuals and see how they’d grown and changed since Shiver left off.

The ending to Shiver, as many may remember, was quite emotional. It was one of the few books that brought me to tears. In fact, I pretty much bawled for the last fifty pages. The ending to Linger was not quite as emotional. This time, I could see the ending coming upon completing the first hundred pages. This made me less surprised when it actually came. If anything, I was looking forward to seeing how it would pan out, what the logistics would be, and where Stiefvater would leave us. Even with my foresight of how it would end, I was still not happy with it one bit. Stiefvater has crafted yet another ending that will leave readers wanting more. Quite possibly with even more fervor that upon completing Shiver.

In the end, Linger was not quite up to par with Shiver. However, I still greatly enjoyed it. It was an overall wonderful novel that fans of the series will enjoy nonetheless. And like me, they will probably be waiting on pins and needles for Forever, the conclusion to this lovely trilogy.

5 stars!

Weekend of Epic-ness!

This weekend has been dubbed the Weekend of Epic-ness! (I am a genius with titles, no?) Do you want to why my weekend is going to be so epic?

This is why:

Maggie Stiefvater, author of Linger, is going to be in San Francisco this Saturday, July 24th. And not just in San Francisco, but doing a special event with Not Your Mother's Book Club, my absolute favorite book club. Plus it's not just an event, it's one of their private events. I've been to two of their private events -- Libba Bray and Shannon Hale's and Sarah Dessen's -- both of which were superb.

Oh, and then there's this:

Ally Carter, author of The Gallagher Girls series, is going to be in San Francisco this Friday, July 23rd. I always try to attend one of Ally's events when she's in San Francisco, and this will be my third. I'm twice as excited for this event because I was originally thinking I was not going to be able to make it, but the stars aligned for me.

Yes, two amazing NYT best-selling authors in two days. It truly will be an epic weekend! Check back next week for a write up of the two events.

Hope you all have a great weekend as well!

What's Your St@tus Giveaway

One lucky reader will win a Top 8 prize pack that includes copies of Top 8 and What's Your St@tus? by Katie Finn.

Here's to scoop on the latest Top 8 novel, What's Your St@tus?:

Sixteen-year-old Madison still loves logging on to Friendverse to see what her BFFs and her cute new boyfriend Nate are up to. But the latest social networking craze is Status Q, which is all about rapid-fire status updates. When one of Mad’s friends has to pull off a high-pressure heist, the gang relies on Status Q to send code messages to each other…all in the middle of a school dance! Will up-to-the-minute social networking save the day…or lead to good old-fashioned disaster?

For more about What's Your St@tus?, check out the publisher's and author's websites.

To get your hands on your very own copies of Top 8 and What's Your St@tus? you're going to need a Twitter account. To keep with the theme of the novel, your going to be tweeting in your entries.

In 140 characters or less, describe either (a) your prom dress or, if you've yet to attend prom, (b) your dream prom dress. Remember to include "@ChickLitTeens" in your tweets so that I can find them!

Once you've tweeted, come back here and leave your information and tweet link HERE.

Here are the official rules of the contest:

• All entries must be received by 11:59 pm PDT on Wednesday, August 4th. 
• Entrants must by 13 years of age or older.
• Entrants must be followers of Chick Lit Teens
• No PO boxes
• US only
• Only one entry per person.

Good luck!

Cover Judge

Cover Judge is a weekly feature that showcases the beautiful covers of upcoming YA novels.

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

Release: December 28, 2010

Synopsis:

A family destroyed. A love threatened. An enemy returns.

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot—a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel is put in danger—in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her—not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

Cover: The Dark Divine was one of my absolute favorite books of the past year. I've been looking forward to The Lost Saint ever since I finished my ARC of The Dark Divine. Other than the actual book, one of the things I was most excited about was seeing the cover of the second book. The cover for The Dark Divine was pretty, and I was looking forward to seeing how they'd continue the design onto the next book. The designers did not disappoint. This cover is simply gorgeous.

You may not know this from the design of my blog, but I absolutely adore the color blue. It's practically my signature color. The fact that The Lost Saint's cover is blue -- an extremely pretty blue nonetheless -- just makes me love it more. I'm happy to see that they've continued on the bold, gauzy fabric swathed around a pair of pale legs that was so pretty on the first cover. I especially like the graceful positioning of the legs on this cover. The combination of the blue fabric, white legs, and pitch black background is breathtaking. An overall amazing cover!

Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink

 Release: August 1, 2010

Series: Prophecy of the Sisters

Source: Teen Author Carnival

The ultimate battle between sisters is nearing, and its outcome could have catastrophic consequences. As sixteen year-old Lia Milthorpe searches for a way to end the prophecy, her twin sister Alice hones the skills she'll need to defeat Lia. Alice will stop at nothing to reclaim her sister's role in the prophecy, and that's not the only thing she wants: There's also Lia's boyfriend James.

Lia and Alice always knew the Prophecy would turn those closest to them against them. But they didn't know what betrayal could lead them to do. In the end, only one sister will be left standing.

It seems that every time I complete one of Michelle Zink’s books I feel as though nothing has happened, and yet so much has happened, such is my affection for them. No matter how much of Lia’s story is told, I simply want more. Upon finishing this installment I found myself immediately desiring the next.

In Guardian of the Gate, Zink introduces a new romantic interest for Lia. And while I liked James, I cannot help but admit I hold Dimitri in higher esteem. He is more lively and mysterious than James, and I am fonder of the dynamic of his and Lia’s relationship. However, I’d be perfectly happy with Lia ending up with either of them. For now, though, I’m content in my pleasure with what Dimitri added to the story, both on his own and through his influence on Lia.

Where Prophecy of the Sisters was very much an introduction of the plot and characters, Guardian of the Gate was a fast-paced adventure. The languid tone and gorgeous writing that so well set the time period in Prophecy of the Sisters is ever present, but the story is far grander. The rising actions were larger, the characters – both old and new – blossomed, and the prophecy grew ever more complex and dangerous. Even with the climax once again being a bit more subtle than I’d normally like, I didn’t much mind this time. If anything, it left me salivating for book three. I simply cannot wait for the conclusion to this most impressive trilogy.

5 stars!

BEA in a Bag WINNER!

First off, let me just say that you are all awesome! I received a much larger response to this contest than I ever could've imagined. According to the final stats, 183 people entered to win, with a total of 713 entries! This is by far the largest giveaway ever hosted on Chick Lit Teens. Thank you!

This also has persuaded me to not give the option for extra entries for a loooong while. It blew me away how many entries I tallied.

Now it's time for what you've all been waiting for: the announcement of which lucky entrant will win the BEA in a bag giveaway! To remind you, the winner will receive:

• The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (ARC)
• Firelight by Sophie Jordan (ARC)
• 2 chapter preview of  Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala
• Seth  Baumgartner's Love Manifesto by Eric Luper
• The Duff by Kody Keplinger (ARC)
• Strand bookmark
• Class of 2k10 bookmark
• Change of Heart bookmark
• Perfect Chemistry series bookmark
• The Absolute Value of -1 bookmark
• Class of 2k10 official BEA t-shirt
• Official BEA bag

And the winner is....

#519 - Elie N!!!!!!

Congratulations, Elie! I will mail you your prize pack within the next week or so.

Book Trailers

Book Trailers bring a book to life. They give you a taste of what the book is about and pull the characters from the page, animating them . More than once I have found myself uninterested in or on the fence about a book, only to have my opinion changed by a book trailer. Sometimes a synopsis just doesn't do a book justice, and that's where book trailers come in.

I've made it one of my goals to do a Book Trailers post at least every other week. I hope that you enjoy these trailers as much as I have, and maybe find a new book to read while you watch.

The trailer below was done by Vania from VLC Productions. I'd been intrigued by Everlasting prior to the seeing the trailer, and discovered an element of the story -- bringing someone back from the dead --that I had not known about prior to watching it.

Everlasting by Angie Frazier

Vania from VLC Productions also made this trailer. Prior to seeing the trailer, I had heard nothing about Infinite Days, and to be honest, I probably never would've even looked at it. However, after seeing the trailer and reading all the lovely things Vania had to say about it, I may give it a shot.

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

I came across Paranormalcy and Kiersten White via Twitter last year, and have been following her blog ever since. Before seeing the trailer I was intrigued. After seeing it, I am still looking forward to reading it. Overall it is a nicely done trailer that makes piques my interest.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Last, but certainly not least, I have the trailer for Michelle Zink's Guardian of the Gate, the second book in the Prophecy of the Sister series. I recently read the book, and absolutely loved it. I am also a big fan of the soundtrack for the books (picked up at BEA). The Guardian of the Gate theme, one of my favorites, plays during the trailer. I hope you enjoy this one!


ETA: I should probably add that Vania from VLC Productions also made this trailer. She is awesome, eh?

Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink

What do you think? Any favorites? Anything that caught your attention?

10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge Chat with Lindsay Eland!

It's time once again for the monthly 10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge chat!

 July's featured author is Lindsay Eland. If you haven't already heard of her delightful middle grade novel, Scones and Sensibility, here is a bit about it:


Polly Madassa is convinced she was born for a more romantic time. A time when Elizabeth Bennet and Anne of Green Gables walked along the moors and beaches of the beautiful land, a time where a distinguished gentleman called upon a lady of quality and true love was born in the locked eyes of two young lovers.

But alas, she was not.

This, however, does not stop our young heroine from finding romance wherever she can conjure it up. So while Polly is burdened with a summer job of delivering baked goods from her parents bakery (how quaint!) to the people in her small beach town, she finds a way to force…um…encourage romance to blossom. She is determined to bring lovers, young and old, together…whether they want to be or not.



I hope to see you all in the official 10 in '10 chat room tonight at 8:00 pm EST!

Sea Change Winner!

The winner of the Sea Change giveaway, who will receive a paperback copy of Sea Change by Aimee Friedman and a handmade bamboo beach mat is...

# 54 - Vicki Smallwood!

Congratulations, Vicki! I'll pass along your information, and you should get your prize in the next month or so.

I'd also like to say a big thank you to everyone who entered. You guys rock!

One Night that Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt

Release: July 6, 2010

Source: Publisher

Eliza is in a full-blown panic. Her notebook has been stolen—the one that lists everything she wants but is afraid to go after. And the absolute worst person in the world has it: her ex-boyfriend, Cooper. 

Like it’s not enough Cooper was lying to Eliza for their entire relationship, now he and his friends are blackmailing her. They’re giving her just one night to complete the most humiliating tasks on her list or they’ll post her secrets online—including the ones that aren’t just about her. 

Eliza’s sure of only one thing: she isn’t going down without a fight. Cooper may have what’s left of her dignity, but she’s not the only one with something to hide … 

A hilarious and sweet teen novel by Lauren Barnholdt, the author of two-way street.

Secrets. Romance. Reputations on the line. And one epic night, after which nothing will be the same. What’s not to love?

In One Night that Changes Everything, the main character, Eliza, and her two besties, Clarice and Marissa, each had their own unique personality that was completely different than the others. The combination of the three provided for much hilarity, as well as some great dialogue. Even though the girls were vastly different, I liked them all. Their friendship had a great dynamic to it that, in my opinion, was very reflective of real teen friendships. No matter what the other did, they always forgave each other and were there when it really counted.

The inclusion of the secret fraternity-like boys club was a refreshing split from the “mean girls” who usually are pulling the strings in similar scenarios. The whole idea of the secret society was intriguing in and of itself. I really enjoyed getting to see how they worked, as well as the repercussions it had outside of the club. It was all very cloak and dagger, which only added to the intrigue of the novel.

I absolutely adored the fact that everything took place in one night. There was no time to slow down with such a time constraint (not to mention the tasks Eliza had to complete). Because of this, every other page brought another wild surprise that kept me reading. I simply did not want to put the book down

Eliza and Cooper’s rocky relationship made the book all the better. I liked both of their characters a lot and very much enjoyed the verbal sparring that came about whenever they were thrown together (which was often). They had a very Rory-Logan relationship, a la Gilmore Girls. She was the studious one, he the edgy one involved in a secret society. Watching them sift through the remains of their broken relationship throughout the course of the night was both high interesting and humorous. From the cause of their breakup to what transpired during that night – I lapped all of it up.

This is an upbeat chick lit book perfect for a lazy summer day. Once you start reading, there is no putting it down. It may have been my first Barnholdt novel, but I can promise you it won’t be my last.

4.75 stars!

Chick Chat: Leah Cypess

Leah Cypess is the author of Mistwood. Here's a bit about the novel:

Everyone tells Isabel that she is the Shifter - the ancient shape-shifting creature who has protected the kings of Samorna for centuries. They need her to be the Shifter. Prince Rokan risked everything when he rode into the Mistwood to summon her to his side; Ven, the magician's apprentice, has devoted his life to studying her legend; and even Princess Clarisse, who fears and hates her, depends on Isabel's powers to further her own plans.

But Isabel doesn't feel like the Shifter. She feels like a lonely human girl, beset by flashes of memory that do more to confuse than to help her. If she is the Shifter, why can't she change her shape? Why doesn't she remember what made her flee the castle so many years ago? As she is drawn deeper into a web of magic and assassination, Isabel will have no choice but to look for answers. But her search will lead her to the one question the Shifter hasn't faced in a thousand years: where does she come from, and what does she really want?

To find out more about Leah and Mistwood, you can visit her at her website.

-------------------------


What inspired you to write Mistwood?

I had an image in my mind of a supernatural creature in a misty forest, being hunted by men on horseback. I wrote that scene without any idea of what would come next.

What was the biggest challenge you faced while writing?

I wrote most of Mistwood while working at a law firm, which meant I only wrote on the subway – so I had dozens of different scenes and ideas scattered over various notebooks and scraps of paper. I never had time to actually sit in front of a computer, type my writing in, and arrange it in some sort of order. When I finally (after I left my job) sat down at a computer to piece them all together, it was quite headache-inducing! I even discovered that I had written one scene twice.

Which one of your characters do you identify with the most?

Isabel, my main character. I stay very close to her point of view for most of the book, and her struggle with making difficult choices was very real for me.

If you could meet any author (dead or alive), who would it be?

I would love to meet Herman Wouk. I love almost all of his books.

Many teens dream of becoming authors. What advice would you give to writing teens?

First, I’d advise them not to think about publication too soon. I submitted my first manuscript when I was 15 years old, and trust me, I have nothing but gratitude for the editors who rejected it! Give your writing style time to mature and grow. Develop it on your own, then with a critique group. Don’t be impatient – you’ll know when you’re ready for the world to see it.

And second, once you get to that stage – don’t pin all your hopes on a single manuscript, no matter how great it is or how much effort you’ve put into it. Sometimes even great manuscripts never get published, because there’s an element of luck – finding the right editor at the right time – that you can’t control. Sometimes it’s time to put a book in the drawer and start submitting the next book. Mistwood was the fifth manuscript I submitted to publishers (not counting the one I sent when I was 15!); all the others, though they received a lot of favorable comments and revision requests and even trips to the acquisition committee, eventually had to be shelved so I could move on.

What's next for you?


There will be a companion novel to Mistwood published in 2011 – I am working on revisions right now! After that, I hope to be able to write more books set in the world of Mistwood, as well as some set in our own world.

-------------------------

Thank you for the interview, Leah!

Cover Judge

Cover Judge is a semi-weekly feature that highlight the dazzling covers of upcoming YA novels.

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Release: March 15, 2011

Synopsis: The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found. 

When Violet Ambrose's morbid ability to sense the echoes of those who've been murdered leads her to the body of a young boy, she draws the attention of the FBI. She is reluctantly pulled into an investigation that will endanger more than just her secret...but her relationship and possibly her life as well.

Cover: My initial reaction to this cover was "Ooooh! Pretty!" The pink on black is absolutely stunning. Combined with the fragile elegance of the flower, the cover is all around gorgeous. I'm so happy that they decided to stick with the same idea as the cover of The Body Finder. Even though I've yet to read the book (I'm reading it this week), I've always been a fan of its cover. I do not know the significance of the flowers, but I do know that they are hauntingly beautiful, with a touch of mystery. Their bright blooms on the otherwise inky black backgrounds catch your eye and make you want to know what lies beneath. 

Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when she faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart.

In this fourth installment of the New York Times best-selling series, the Gallagher Girls must hack, spy, steal, and lie their way to the truth as they go searching for answers, recognizing that the key to Cammie’s future may lie deep in the past....

And so the plot thickens...

With each and every Gallagher Girls book the series gets better and better. In the first, we met Cammie and were introduced to her swanky boarding school and ultra-secret sisterhood of spies. In the second, the appearance of the Blackthorne boys rocked Cammie’s world, and sent her searching for answers about their past. In the third, Cammie’s training went from hypothetical situations to life-or-death with a revelation that changed it all. Now, with Only the Good Spy Young, nothing in Cammie’s world is what it seems and enemies lurk everywhere, shrouded by secrets.

As if that wasn’t enough to hook me, within the first ten pages Carter had my jaw-dropping. From then on there was no putting the book down. You couldn’t have pried it from my hands if you’d tried. Each chapter brought a new unexpected twist, a revelation I never could’ve seen coming. Carter found a way to make the already fabulous plot even better, and the stakes even higher.

The story was superb, the characters were awesome, the writing was the perfect mix of seriousness and humor – it was all amazing! The biggest testament to this is the fact that I literally spent the entirety of the book either (a) gasping in surprise, (b) gripping the book madly because I was so on edge, (c) screaming “NO!” in disbelief, or, in the case of the ending, (d) staring at the page with my mouth hanging open because I could not formulate any kind of response to what had just transpired.

Had I not been completely in love with the series beforehand, this book would’ve won me over hook, line, and sinker. It is by far the best Gallagher Girls yet. The next book cannot come fast enough!

5 stars!

Source: Purchased

Registering for BBAW 2010

Book Blogger Appreciation Week, affectionately known as BBAW around the blogosphere, is back for its third year this fall. The week-long celebration of book bloggers will be taking place September 13-17. I've participated in BBAW since its inception back in 2008 (my first year of blogging), and last year I helped out with some of the planning. Even though I was unable to volunteer my time this year on a planning committee, I'm still very excited for this year's BBAW. 
BBAW is doing something very different this year. Bloggers who want to participate during the week have to register their blog this time around. In addition to this, the judging of the award categories is going to be completely different. You can read all about the changes on the BBAW website here. 
As for myself, I have registered under Best Young Adult Book Blog for the niche category awards. To be eligible for this award, it is necessary that I select five posts -- three reviews, two others of my choosing -- to be judged. I've chosen the following:
Sea by Heidi R Kling
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw
Just Say No
Negative vs. Positive Reviews: Which is Easier?
I hope you all decide to join me in registering for BBAW 2010! It's sure to be another great year.

BEA In A Box -- Er, Bag!

ETA: You MUST fill out this form in order to be entered. Only entries on the form will be counted. Entries left anywhere else (i.e. comments) will not be counted.


As many of you know, I attended BookExpo America (BEA) in NYC this past May. I came home with not only a load of books for myself, but also many for you, my lovely readers. I'm going to be sprinkling the giveaways out throughout the course of the year. However, what better way to celebrate July 4th than with a mega giveaway? So I give you...

BEA in a Box Bag!

One (1) very lucky reader will win....

• The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (ARC)
• Firelight by Sophie Jordan (ARC)
• 2 chapter preview of  Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala
• Seth  Baumgartner's Love Manifesto by Eric Luper
• The Duff by Kody Keplinger (ARC)
• Strand bookmark
• Class of 2k10 bookmark
• Change of Heart bookmark
• Perfect Chemistry series bookmark
• The Absolute Value of -1 bookmark
• Class of 2k10 official BEA t-shirt

Sounds great, right? Well it just wouldn't be BEA without a giant bag to carry your loot around in. If there's one thing I learned at the convention, it's that bags are your friends. Your best friends. So naturally, you'll need one of these...

An official BEA bag (posing with the lovely 2k10 t-shirt)!

Just in case you lost track, that's 1 book preview, 4 books, 5 bookmarks, a 2k10 t-shirt, and a BEA bag.  And now, for the part you really care about: how to enter. 

All you have to do is tell me what book (or books) you're looking forward to the most this year, and your're entered. Tell me by filling out THIS form by 12:00 midnight PDT on Saturday, July 17th. Here are the official rules of entry:

• You must be a follower of the blog
• You must be 13 years of age or older
• Open INTERNATIONALLY!

For this contest, I'm going to be allowing extra entries -- Twitter (+1), blog post (+5), new blog follower (+1), old blog follower (+3).

Good luck!

Winners Galore!

The winners of the Insatiable giveaway, who will both be getting a finished copy of Meg Cabot's Insatiable are...

Khadija

&

Emma Michaels!

The winner of So Over My Head by Jenny B Jones is...

Erica (The Book Cellar X)!

And finally, the winner of Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma is...

April Hamrick!

Congratulations to all of the winners! And for those of you who did not win, check back tomorrow for a giveaway I'm sure you'll all love.

Book Trailers

I have two fabulous trailers for two amazing books. The first is for The Dark Divine -- one of my favorite books of 2009 -- and the second is for Only the Good Spy Young -- one of my favorites of this year. I hope you enjoy the trailers (and their respective novels)!




The Dark Divine by Bree Despain





Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

10 in '10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge: June Check In!

Hello 10 in ’10 Teen Chick Lit Challengers!

I apologize that this check in post is so late. Time has gotten away from me this month. I’ve been spending every moment of free time reading, and have come across some amazing books. This summer is proving to be excellent for reading.

On that note, let’s get to the purpose of this post. Amongst all of the books I’ve read as of late, I’ve found some great chick lit, many of which were on my 10 in '10 list. Since my last check in, in which I mentioned The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, I’ve had the pleasure of reading the sequel, It’s Not Summer Without You. I will not bore you with my gushing, as you can find all of my thoughts on the book in my recent review. Another sequel I encountered recently was Suzanne Young’s So Many Boys, the second book in The Naughty List series.

This month I read my favorite chick lit read of the year so far, Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter. The Gallagher Girls books have long been some of my favorites, with Ally Carter being one of my favorite authors. This fourth book was simply AMAZING. I cannot put into words how much I enjoyed it. It was shocking, witty, and left me reeling. Writing my review for it will be quite a task for me, but I assure you it will be getting no less than five stars.

As for non-sequels, I read Forgive my Fins by Tera Lynn Childs (our June 10 in ’10 featured author). It was yet another great book. Like Tera’s other two novels, it was a fun and intriguing chick lit book with a mythological flair. It’s truly the perfect book for reading by the pool. I also read Fixing Delilah Hannaford by Sarah Ockler. This was an unexpected read for me, and had I not won a copy at the Teen Author Carnival, I probably would never have read it. I’m extremely grateful for having won an ARC because I would’ve missed out on a simply marvelous book. I hold it akin to Sarah Dessen – that’s how much I enjoyed it.

Okay, now that you know what I’ve read recently, what have you? Remember to link your reviews in the Mr. Linky below.

Happy reading!

Jessica