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The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa Publisher: Harlequin Teen (April 24th, 2012) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardback: 485 pages
Source: ARC from Publisher Series: Blood of Eden #1
Rating: 4 of 5 stars In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Review:

First, the vampires in this story are not the kind we see nowadays. They are vicious, heartless, and cruel (most of them). There is nothing swoon-worthy going on here. People avoid the vampires at all costs. The first thing that grabbed my attention with this book was the world-building. This was my first experience with a novel by Julie Kagawa and wow, she has mastered this setting. I could picture this dark, deadly place, where vampires and rabids lurk in the dark and the people on the fringe just hope to scavenge some food each day. The kids grow up without parents and a person would rip your head off for a piece of bread. Yes, it's gruesome and real. Julie Kagawa did not shy away from exposing the real death in this story.

Allison is an Unregistered, which means she doesn't exist. Like many others, she has not been tagged by the vampires and doesn't have to give her blood to them. The downside is that she doesn't get their food or help either. But Allison is willing to risk this. Along with a few of her crew, she is forced to live off of very little and fight for survival. Then one adventure puts her on a completely new path.

Once Allison changes she learns way more about the vampire society than she would have thought possible. At the same time, she learned how strong and powerful she is. I truly admired Allison's courage and independence. It took an enormous amount of strength to get through what she had experienced and she never gave up.

She meets quite a few people on her journey and some prove to be challenging for her. One that she can't seem to keep her mind off of is Zeke. Zeke is kind, considerate, and loyal. He seemed to see a part of Allison that she didn't even know existed.

The plot of this book is full of twists and turns. There is a lot of intense action, heart-breaking moments, and blood-- lots of blood! My only complaint is that this book is long, super super long. Due to this, some parts were a little slow to me. Somewhere around the middle I lost focus and had to put it down for a while.

Julie Kagawa has created a fascinating story where vampires are not the good guys, and the humans are the cattle waiting for their slaughter. In this dystopian world, a young girl may have to fight everything she is in order to keep her humanity and compassion for others. The battles are deadly, and the heroine never back down. Julie Kagawa now has a new fan.

Recommended: People looking for an old-fashioned vampire tale with a brand new dystopian spin. Complex and full of action, with a plot that will keep readers intrigued.

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I'm so happy to be part of the tour for The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa. It's a brand new, super cool vampire dystopian book and it's so good! Be sure to check out the giveaway on the Harlequin blog for a Kindle and one-of-a-kind Immortal Rules case!

Sign up below for a chance to win a SIGNED COPY of The Immortal Rules!

Stop #13 – “The Inner City”

The secret goal of almost every Fringer is to someday make it into the Inner City, past the wall that separates the civilized world from the human trash, into the glittering city that looms over us with its great starry towers that had somehow resisted crumbling into dust. Everyone knows someone who knows someone who was taken into the city, a brilliant mind or a great beauty, someone too unique or special to be left here with us animals. There are rumors that the vampires “breed” the humans on the inside, raising the children to be their thralls, completely devoted to their masters. But since none who are taken into the city ever come out again—ex-cept the pets and their guards, and they aren’t talking—no one knows what it’s really like.

Of course, this only feeds the stories.

Please visit A Good Addiction for the next stop on The Immortal Rules blog tour. Previous stops can be found on the Harlequin blog.

Check out the Blood of Eden site.
Julie will be making appearances at these bookstores near her hometown. * Saturday, April 28th at 2pm — The Bookstore, Radcliff, KY
* Monday, May 7th at 5:30 pm — Lincoln's Loft, Hodgeville, KY

About New York Times Best-Selling Author Julie Kagawa: To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time. Her third novel, The Iron Queen, became a New York Times bestseller and her debut novel, The Iron King recently won the RITA award for best young-adult fiction novel of 2010. Julie now lives in La Grange, Kentucky, with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian shepherd who is too smart for his own good and the latest addition, a hyperactive papillon.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa Publisher: Harlequin Teen (April 24th, 2012) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardback: 485 pages Series: Blood of Eden #1 In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

Prize:

• 1 winner will receive a SIGNED copy of THE IMMORTAL RULES.

• You must be at least 13 (or have permission) to enter.
• Name and email must be provided.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US/Canada only and ends May 11th.
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

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"The world that Kagawa created in 'The Iron King' fit every setting desire I remember wanting to read." — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart."

Book Trailer:

This was a great read that I wish I had read at another time; two weeks ago when I read this book I developed the bad habit of "rushing" through books by skimming the pages. I'm not sure why I felt the need to rush an activity I loved with a great book, but I think it may be due to the responsibility of posting reviews and the need to "produce" — but that's a whole other post. The point is: I skimmed this book. I was so excited to reach the end that I forgot that it's the journey that makes a book great. Consequently as a fault 100% my own, I missed out on the characterization and the plot subtleties of this magnificent book.

Even with this lack of knowledge (again, completely my fault) and "skimming" the book, I fell in love with the plot and the setting. It reminded me of everything I had hoped existed as a child — faeries, kings, queens, princesses, knights, and magic. The world that Kagawa created in "The Iron King" fit every setting desire I remember wanting to read. So many times as a pre-teen I remember sitting down and trying to write this world that Kagawa has written so flawlessly; but each time I got caught up in all the who(s) and the what(s) that writing became less of an art and more of a encyclopedia of fantasy knowledge. With "The Iron King," I now have that world and all the work has been done for me.

I'm so thankful that I "The Iron Daughter" and "The Iron Queen" to read and to read right. Has anyone else ever gotten so caught up in the blogosphere that the ends just don't justify the means? That the need to produce so many reviews a week etc made reading a chore and pages a nuisance? I definitely need to reevaluate and practice slowing down — next time I rush through a novel I may not be so lucky as to have another chance to fully throw myself into the world, plot, and characters.

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 9/10
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 55/60 A

To find out more about this series and author, visit the following links:
-Visit Julie around the web here: Website | Blog | Twitter
-BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kindle | Nook

To the FTC, with love: Library Loan

Release Date: October 25, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin
Challenges: iChallenge, 100+ Reading Challenge, eBook Challenge

"To cold, emotionless faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.
Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl— smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive. With the (unwelcome) company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end— a quest to find a way to honor his solemn vow to stand by Meghan’s side. To survive in the Iron realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. At least, no one has ever passed to tell the tale. And then Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that turns reality upside down, challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice."

This was a book, that after reading "The Iron Queen, " I couldn't wait to get in my grasp. When I realized that it was released by NetGalley I requested it and I waited, for what seemed like MONTHS, to be approved. When I was, I started reading and I finished a day later. If you enjoyed the first three books, this fourth won't disappoint.

I was skeptical at first about the change in narration, but after reading "Summer's Crossing, " I concluded that there are no worries when Julie Kagawa is around! I never really fell in love with Meghan, so the narration switch wasn't that important to me. I did fall in love with the world and (of course) the boys — and that hasn't changed.

Overall, another fantastic installation into the Iron Fey series that I highly recommend. I'd still say that "The Iron Queen" is my overall favorite book — but "The Iron Knight" did not disappoint!

-Visit Julie around the web here: Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter
-BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

To the FTC, with love: Galley received from NetGalley (THANK YOU!)

"It will rekindle your love for the land of Fey and stir in you a new desire for whichever Team you root for." — Miss Remmers

Release Date: June 1st, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Challenges: iChallenge, 100+ Reading Challenge, and eBook Challenge 2011

"A Midsummer's Nightmare? Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.
Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist. "

Julie Kagawa knows what to do to keep her readers continually interested — even between books! This is clearly apparent with "Summer's Crossing" the book in between the third and the fourth book of her Iron Fey series. I mean, how many other authors do that! It's a great tool to almost tease readers between release dates. It's been a while since I read "The Iron Queen" and to be honest I had slightly forgotten how much I loved this series. When I saw that "Summer's Crossing" was available for a FREE DOWNLOAD I was excited but not "OMG I need to read this now excited." But once I started reading I remembered instantly how much I love Puck and Ash (I forget whose Team I'm on) and the entire realm of Fey.

"Summer's Crossing" is from Puck's perspective and is written and dialogued so perfectly that I would have thought there were two different authors writing this series — one for Meghan and one for Puck. I don't want to spoil anything, but there was definitely a moment where I was like: "Oh no he didn't!"

Yea, basically like that.

This novella is a must for anyone "patiently" waiting for "The Iron Knight" (Oct 25th, 2011). It will rekindle your love for the land of Fey and stir in you a new desire for whichever Team you root for.

And it's a free download so, people, you have no excuse.:)

Read my reviews of The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, and The Iron Queen.

-Visit Julie around the web here: Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter
-BUY THE BOOK: Kindle | Nook

To the FTC, with love: Free Download from Barnes and Noble

"I wasn't bought at first, but now I cannot imagine my classroom without this amazing series with such depth in both plot and characters." — Miss Remmers

"My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it. This time, there will be no turning back."
Okay, so I'll admit it. I didn't really like "The Iron King " or "The Iron Daughte r." I didn't connect to the characters and I disliked Meghan.
Boy, am I eating my words. I've gone from telling my BFF book friend Button that she shouldn't "waster her time" with this series to calling her while crying and saying she MUST read it! NOW!
Why this sudden change of heart? Simply and obviously put: "The Iron Queen." This was an amazing novel whose characters and plot were both so riveting I couldn't put it down before school, during my lunch, during my plan, after school, after the work out, at dinner, and finally before bed. All I've done today is read "The Iron Queen" — well, you know, besides teaching tomorrow's supposed leaders. When I wasn't reading I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and the seemingly impossible adventure they were on.
And yes, I've warmed up to Ash. In my previous reviews I stated that Ash was basically a bully and downright mean to Meghan 95% of the time — this completely changed with "The Iron Queen." At times there was still a shadow of that icy cold Prince of Winter, but for the most part he was every girl's fantasy (no pun intended) man: a complete gentleman who cares only for you. The romance definitely heated up in this book without it becoming "overly done" or "tasteless." It was definitely the right amount — but it still had me willing for more secret kisses. I felt like Ash's character was finally developed and multi-dimensional. For this reason I am just giddy with excitement for "The Iron Knight" and completely bummed that it's release date is so far away (November 2011).
Despite my new appreciation for Ash, I still think I'm TEAM PUCK. It's nothing against Ash or Meghan... Puck is just more my type of guy and much more like my real guy.:) Puck's character was further developed in this novel as well. As were all the characters really: Meghan, Paul, Grim etc. Grim was a character I didn't necessarily like in the first two novels; he seemed to... wishy washy, like it was too easy for him to change sides. Now I trust him completely. However, I'm still unsure of Lea; we will see the part she has to play in Knight.
This book was absolutely fantastic. The last 100 pages I was glued to my Nook screen; I couldn't pull myself away! I cried more than once, felt my heart break, my body tense, and sighed a sigh of, not relief, but of hope at least. Julie Kagawa, I tip my hat to you. I wasn't bought at first, but now I cannot imagine my classroom without this amazing series with such depth in both plot and characters. This series will definitely be my next book talk.
Random: I love Razor! I want one!!

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 59/60 A

To find out more about this series and author, visit the following links:
-Visit Julie around the web here: Website | Blog | Twitter
-BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kindle | Nook

To the FTC, with love: Hardcopy ARC and eBook via NetGalley

I'd like to welcome Alexia as this week's Guest Reviewer!

*****************
Book Blurb:Meghan Chase has a secret destiny — one she could never have imagined…
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth — that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

My Review:
I am so glad that this book lived up to all of the hype! I heard nothing but raves about this one and since I couldn't wait to get my copy and read it, it jumped straight to the top of my TBR pile. Well worth it as I loved almost everything about this book! The cover is gorgeous, the story is fast paced and interesting and the characters are believable.

The main character is a teenage girl named Meghan. She lives on the outskirts of town and has always felt like an outsider. It doesn't help that her family is poor. Meghan is about to turn sixteen when she is humiliated at school by one of the popular boys that she's had a crush on forever. That scene brought back the horror that was high school, and reminded me how cruel teenagers can be. I thought that Julie really nailed the high school experience, and my heart broke for Meghan.

Then things get strange when she gets home. What happened to her mother? Why is her little brother acting so strange? And why is her best friend Robbie making such outrageous claims? Robbie and Meghan are supposed to be celebrating her sixteenth birthday, but instead are set off on an unexpected adventure.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought Meghan was a believable character who reacted like a sixteen year old girl would when confronted with strange situations and horrible threats. It does get a little old when characters who supposedly lived normal human lives suddenly turn into superwomen and discover an unknown talent for kung fu or something. I liked that Meghan was scared and broke down into tears at times, but she was also strong, grew up fast, and discovered hidden strengths she didn't realize she possessed.

I enjoyed the plot and thought that both main and secondary characters were well drawn, and overall the book was very well done. I especially loved Grimalkin! I'm looking forward to the next book, The Iron Daughter, due out in August.

********************** Big thanks to Alexia from Alexia's Books and Such for such a great book review. Check out her original review here!

From Amazon...

"Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.
Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart."

After my struggles with The Iron King, I found that I was much more "into" this book than its predecessor — but that could probably be chalked up to my haste in reading "The Iron King."

"The Iron Daughter" opens with Meghan held captive (or forced guest) by the Winter Fey. I'm not sure why, but the vision of Meghan freezing while wearing "sweatpants, gloves, a thick sweater, and a wool hat" has stuck with me the entire book (12). Maybe because in Northern Minnesota that's what the majority of my wardrobe consists of or maybe because I'm always cold — I don't know — but it's the one quote I continually think of from this novel. Speaking of Meghan: I struggle with her. I want to like her — but I don't. Maybe its her fascination with Ash, who is mean to her 95% of the time. But maybe it's a good thing — all characters aren't meant to be liked, maybe just evoking a "strong dislike" for her is proof enough that her character is well written.

Ironhorse, now there's a character I liked (in this novel anyway); although, it really peeves me that this dialogue was ONLY IN CAPS! IMAGINE READING THIS WHENEVER YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER WAS SPEAKING. TALK ABOUT A SLIGHT HEADACHE. Not a fan of the caps. I wish that he could have spurred (no pun intended) a kink into the love triangle to make it a love... square? I thought that would have been really interesting. I also wish more there were more descriptions of him in his human form; I envisioned a dressed in black rebel without a cause... but that's just me.

Can I just say (random I know), that I wish I could find a trod into the Fey World — I think I'd probably end up being Summer Fey because of the atmosphere, but I prefer the Winter season over Summer... and at the same time, maybe I'd be Iron Fey — what with all the gadgets I could never leave behind.

Moving on.

I think it's obvious by now that I am Team Puck. The teenager in me yearns for Ash and his brooding nature (Mr. Darcy anyone?) and how by pushing Meghan further away she only pushes harder back at him. But the adult in me, adores how Puck loves Meghan even after she misleads him and takes him for granted. That constant love is what, to me, real romance is. Of course, the ending of "The Iron Daughter" leaves me... how shall I say without spoiling anything... stranded. I can say I am very clearly TEAM PUCK.

There were a few things left hanging at the end of "The Iron Daughter" including some sketchy favors and promises by Grim but most notably Leanansidhe. I'm still completely in the dark as to why she would help the three so completely and not expect anything in return. I'm guessing she plays a larger role in "The Iron Queen."

I think it's a safe assumption as to who "The Iron Daughter" is and with Ironhorse's comment we can further assume who the "The Iron Queen" is. I feel like this plot line is devastatingly straight forward and predictable so I'm hoping for a twist with "The Iron Queen." All in all, I'm hoping that "The Iron Daughter" has March off on the right foot.

Quick disclaimer: Of the three books, this is my least favorite cover.
Originality: 9/10
Ending: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 8/10
Cover: 6/10
Overall: 48/60 B

To find out more about this series and author, visit the following links:
-Visit Julie around the web here: Website | Blog | Twitter
-BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kindle | Nook

To the FTC, with love: Library Loan

It's been a while since I had time to do an IMM but it's finally here! Special thanks to Random House, Candiewick, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Macmillian, Harlequin, Kristie Cook, Kari Townsend, and David Goodberg. Thank you all for the fabulous books over the past few weeks!

Review The Iron Queen (ARC) by Julie Kagawa
Future Imperfect (ARC) by K. Ryer Breese
I Will Save You by Matt de la Pena
The Back Door of Midnight by Elizabeth Chandler
The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith
Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie
Selected Shorts and Other Methods of Time Travel by David Goodberg
Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
Sister Mischief (ARC) by Laura Goode
Blink & Caution (ARC) by Tim Wynne- Jones
What Comes After (ARC) by Steve Watkins
The Field and the Forge by Henry H. Neff
The Anti-Prom (ARC) by Abby McDonald
Wish by Joseph Monnington
Teenage Waistland by Lynn Biederman
The Fortune of Carmen Navarro by Jane Bryant
The Piper's Son (ARC) by Melina Marchetta
Small As An Elephant (ARC) by Janenifer Richard Jacobson
When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer
Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
Rage (ARC) by Jackie Morse Kessler
Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
It Started With a Dare by Lindsay Faith Rech
The Samantha Granger Experiment: Fused by Kari Lee Townsend (not pictured)

Picture Books Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama
Tell Me the Day Backwards by Albert Lamb
Tangled: The Junior Novelization by Irene Trimble (not pictured)
A Dazzling Day by Devin Ann Wooster
Tangled: Read Aloud Storybook by Christine Peymani

Won Where She Went (ARC) by Gayle Forman
and a $15 B&N and $25 Applebees giftcard that I won from Kristie Cook!

Added Late XVI by Julia Karr

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristie at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

In June (of 2010), I looked into what books I had read from Good Books and Good Wine 's list of Top 100 YA Books and challenged myself to see how many I can read before the end of the year. Well, as it is now the end of the year, I thought I should look at my progress, or lack of progress. I only read three. Yes, only three. I've decided to give myself another year to finish this challenge. Last time, I only had a few books actually in my possession, now I have more than ten. Hopefully this year will go a bit better than the last six months.
Here's the list:
Previously On my TBR List
100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown 91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike* 76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman* 73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa 71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman 67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles* 56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine* 55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith 54. Fallen by Lauren Kate* 48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card 40. Wake series by Lisa McMann* 38. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume 36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett 33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain* 30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr 24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson* 22. Uglies series by Scott Westerfield* 21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia* 17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead* 13. The Giver by Lois Lowry* 11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee*
* — Currently on my bookshelf
What do you think? Can I do it?

Do you like to establish relationships with authors? Do you ever have"fan-girl/boy" moments?

I love it when an author contacts me about their books, especially when I've read their books before. There are some authors that are extremely popular that talk to me, and I go total fan-girl. But I also like when a little known author contacts me to send me their book and I end up loving it, It's great for me to find a new great author (Lauren Mechling, Megan Kelley Hall, and Brooke Taylor to name just a few). — Kayla at Midnight Twilight's Book Blog
Oh, yes. I think that's one of the things I like best; being able to just talk to authors. (Julie Kagawa, I'm looking at you.) And I definitley have fangirl moments. I sobbed when I met Laurie Halse Anderson and spazzed a little the first time Gail Carriger tweeted @ me. It's fun! — Nicole at WORD for Teens
I am a TOTAL fangirl. I get giddy at author events or when authors reply to my tweets or blog post. You should have seen me when I met Holly Black! I'm pretty sure she may have started the process for a restraining order; ) — Heidi at YA Bibliophile
I'm brand new to the book blogger community so I haven't established a rapor with too many authors yet. The few that I have are amazingly friendly people and I'm very thankful they take the time they do to respond to my comments and questions. My most recent fan-girl moment was with Chef and Author Robert Irvine. I wrote on his Facebook page and he responded with a great comment which made me squeal like a tween girl at a Justin Bieber concert when I got it. — Kelli at Scarlett's Scraps
I've yet to be lucky enough to establish relationships with authors, but I'd love to in the future. I do have one ARC winging its way to me, so hopefully that will become my first 'author relationship'. I've sort of had a fan-girl moment about Jasper Fforde recently- I can't stop telling people how good his books are and how nice he is in person. — Abigailann at The Story Factory Reading Zone
I like to talk to them on twitter sometimes, or on their blogs but I'm very shy and get intimidated really easy so I leave the talking to my friends whenever we go to book signings. I have gotten very fangirly where I get really nervous and freeze, but nothing crazy like crying in front of them and stuff like that. — Cynthia at A Blog about Nothing
I do a little. Since I have started I have been chatting to a few authors not just about there books but about everyday stuff and it just feels like having a girly chat with a person rather than one of your fave authors. I have had one fan girl moment when one of my fave authors at the minute L.A. Weatherly said she loved my review of her book Angel and was glad I loved the characters so much I didn't even know she would see it. — Megan at Reading Away the Days
Of course, there always those authors that your just WOW, i cant believe im talking with them!!!! They are amazing and much more down to earth than I originally expected Reagan at Star Shadow Blog
I have a few authors that I have exchanged ideas, emails, and tweets with. I can't say that I am particularly close to any of them. But I love to see what they have to say! — Lisa at Bookworm Lisa
I never thought that I could have a relationship with my favorite authors, but it is possible. I talk with authors all over and even met some of them. It is just so awesome! I have had a fan-girl moment before. Every time I email a new author, asking him/her for an interview or something of that nature, I always freak out. (Is that weird?) Nora can tell you all about it, I stare at the SEND button and start smiling. Authors are like celebrities, that I can talk to and I love it. — Gina at The Bucket List
I think most of us at one time or another has some sort of fan-girl/boy moment. Right?! And yes, I love interacting with authors and helping them interact with others. That is one of the driving factors in Read.Chat.Love, a Author-Blogger Chat and Event blog I am a co-founder of. — Stacey at Flippin' Fabulous — A Reader's Record
I get SOOO fangirly if an author comments on my blog or seeks me out for a review/interview. Right now, I think my favorite moment was when Jo Knowles commented on my post about My Most Awesomely Horrifying Reads of All Time (I'd just put Lessons from a Dead Girl on the list) with a book suggestion for the list. The fact that I have actual, real-live authors reading my blog just blows my mind! -Christi at Christi the Teen Librarian Absolutely! I have read some amazing stories that I would not have read otherwise. I have become fans of some great authors and continue to stalk them accordingly. — J.L. at J.L. Jackson
Not really, it'd be nice but isn't necessary. I do have a few author's who's blogs I follow though. — Ellen at Silver Tabby Books
I am not one who actively seeks relationships with authors. I do reach out through Twitter and will interact that way, but I still consider authors to be celebrities and therefore somewhat remote and untouchable. It is a ridiculous notion but one I have never overcome. I have fan-girl moments every single time I get a comment from an author or an e-mail from an author or even a response on Twitter. My biggest moment was visiting a booksellers' trade show last October and was surrounded by authors. I felt privileged to be there but definitely felt I wasn't worthy to be in the same company! — Michelle at That's What She Read
I haven't met or established relationships with many authors, so no. I love following my favourite authors on their blogs though. — Cole at Through the Book Vine
As an author myself I have many friends who are authors. I’m not sure if fan-girl is a correct description, but I do have a great admiration for authors who persevere. — Ann at Cozy in Texas
I don't generally go seek them out — I blog for myself because I like it, so I don't like to feel obligated to post a good review or anything like that. I don't review every book I read due to time constraints, but the ones I don't like or don't finish, I generally won't officially review, especially with some of the recent drama I've seen about negative reviews. However, I do follow a couple of my absolute favorite authors, and would be open to relationships with any of them. — Cat at Cat's Thoughts
Yes, but it makes me nervous because I'm not the most outgoing person (Me= VERY shy). Absolutely, anytime an author replies to a tweet or the few times I've exchanged emails with one. I always have to step back for a moment just to compose myself before I can even think about replying back. My fan-girl moment would have to be the time that Robin McKinley @ replied me on Twitter. I was like so shocked because she's like one of my all-time favorite fantasy authors. — Orchid at The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
This is sort of a grey area for me. As a reviewer, I'm supposed to maintain a cool, professional distance from the authors whose books I review. Not only is it necessary for readers to trust in a critic's candor and impartiality, it's also easier for the reviewer if he/she is not emotionally tangled with feelings for the author when sitting down to write the review. Of course, it doesn't always work out that way. Lately, I've been a social media butterfly, striking up"friendships" with writers on Twitter and Facebook in an almost whorish manner. Only in a few instances have those connections spilled over into"real life;" for the most part, I only"know" the authors through their Twitter and Facebook accounts. Since I started The Quivering Pen, however, I've had several authors contact me through the blog and I've established several online relationships that way, too. I hope I'm still unbiased enough to give their books an honest review, when it comes to that. Favorite fanboy moment? It would have to be the email I received from novelist Sheri Holman not too long ago telling me that because of what I wrote about the cover of the Advance Reading Copy for her new novel"Witches on the Road Tonight," the design team at Grove/Atlantic decided to go with a different cover (which, in my opinion, is a huge improvement over the original design--a scan of which you can still see on my blog). Whether this was completely true or not--I mean, I'm just one little blogger out here in the world and I really don't think I carry all THAT much weight--it still pumped me up for the better part of a week. — David at Quivering Pen Blog
I do like establishing relationships with authors, but I’m also totally nervous about it! I feel like my 12-year-old self trying to talk to a cute boy and saying the lamest things ever. I admire so many authors and I feel so thankful to them for the awesome reading experiences they’ve given me. I fangirl all the time, much to my embarrassment. I’m super shy though, so most of the time I’m just speechless. — Small at Small Reviews
I'm actually really shy when it comes to authors. I follow several, but I have only ever conversed over the internet with a few, and then not for any lengthy period of time. Authors intimidate me, even though logically they shouldn't. Authors are people, too. Luckily, I've managed to avoid embarrassing fan-girl moments! — Rachel at Jacob's Beloved's Books
Sure! It's nice that authors are really approachable and opennto their readers and fans. For me, it is an additional appeal for the readers. Especially now that there's twitter and facebook, even international readers and bloggers can sort of create a relationship and communicate w/ authors. I'm a big fan-girl myself. So I had those moments of serious fan-girling. To maintain a sense of dignity i shall keep those instances to myself. *whistles* — Len at Musings of a Reader Happy
I am surprised every day at how big and active the book blogging community is. I love knowing that through the good times and the bad times that there is a group I can lean on for book recommendations, a listening ear or just to share the same hobby. — Kristin at Kritters Ramblings
Haha, I'd love to establish relationships with authors, but I still regard them with a certain hoi-paloi status that is above me. I do however know a few people personally who are published authors and are local to me; that is pretty awesome! However, the farthest I've gone with an author is email/twitter fan girl squealing. I do have fan-girl moments! The best one was when Sherrilyn Kenyon was answering questions on the FaceBook page for her Chronicles of Nick series and she replied to mine. Fan-girl scream! I took a picture of the computer screen. I framed it. I'm proud of it. — Nora at The Bookery
Not really applicable as I haven't established any relationships with authors, but I would. It'd be fun, I think, to be able to pick the brains of published/ to-be-published authors. — Kim at Book Munchies
I do love it. Before blogging, I never even thought about contacting an author. Having a relationship with authors is always surprising and wonderful. I have a lot of fangirl moments. — Lindsay at Just Another Book Addict
Yes. I have fan-girly moments all the time! I love when an author takes the time to respond on twitter or like my review on Good Reads.
- Shannon at Books Devoured

*Part 3 of 3 will be posted soon.
USE GOOGLE if you want to know more about the blogoversary celebration.

First, the winner of the giveaway hop is…
Marsie S.

News

Yesterday I went to my first ever book signing. It was in Knoxville at Union Ave Books and was part of the Ash to Nash tour. It was truly a blast! Beth Revis, Myra McEntire, Victoria Schwab, and Alan Gratz were hilarious!

They told stories about their publishing journeys, shared writing tips, and mentioned what is coming up next for them.

Beth Revis even showed off book 2 ARC in the Across the Universe series, A Million Suns. Hot off the presses! (pictured below)

After the questions the authors signed books. I was amazed that they knew of my blog!

It's easy to see that they are all having a blast on this tour and I was so excited that they could come to my area. I wish more authors would stop by!

Thanks to these fabulous authors for taking time to stop by and answer questions! If you missed the previous stops, don't worry! They have one more stop left and it is in Nashville, TN TODAY from 6:30-8:30pm! If you are in the area be sure to stop by the Barnes & Noble in Brentwood.

Here is the author list for tonight.

• Rachel Hawkins, author of Hex Hall and Demonglass
• Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron King, The Iron Daughter, and The Iron Queen
• Myra McEntire, author of Hourglass
• Beth Revis, author of Across the Universe
• Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch
• Ruta Sepetys, author of Between Shades of Gray

I had starred this post awhile ago — like in April at Good Books and Good Wine and have been meaning to put together a post. I can now cross this off my endless To Do list!

I did okay (read 24/100) — but I'd like to have done much better. I look forward to reevaluating where I stand later on in the year!

Read
On my TBR List

100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown
99. Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix
98. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
97. Among The Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
96. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Claus
95. Forever by Judy Blume
94. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
93. Tithe by Holly Black
92. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike
90. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
89. Angus, Thongs And Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
88. Marked by PC And Kristin Cast
87. Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
86. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
85. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
84. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
83. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
82. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot
81. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
80. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
79. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
78. Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen
77. Evernight by Claudia Gray
76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
75. Life As We Knew It series by Susan Beth Pfeffer
74. Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
72. Alana: The First Adventure series by Tamora Pierce
71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
70. Unwind by Neil Shusterman
69. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
68. Paper Towns by John Green
67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
66. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
65. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
64. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time by Mark Haddon
63. The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
62. Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz
61. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
60. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
59. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
58. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
57. Eragon by Christopher Paoloni
56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine
55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith
54. Fallen by Lauren Kate
53. The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot
51. Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke
50. Number The Stars by Lois Lowry
49. Lord Of The Flies by William Golding
48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
47. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
46. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
45. The Summoning series by Kelley Armstrong
44. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card
41. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
40. Wake series by Lisa McMann
39. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
38. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
37. Looking For Alaska by John Green
36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
35. A Great And Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray
34. His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman
33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
32. Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare
31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
29. Forest of Hands And Teeth by Carrie Ryan
28. Holes by Louis Sacher
27. The Outsiders by SE Hinton
26. The Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger
25. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
23. The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
22. Uglies series by Scott Westerfield
21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
20. Poison Study series by Maria V. Snyder
19. Book Thief by Markus Zusak
18. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carlson Levine
17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
16. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
15. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
14. Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery
13. The Giver by Lois Lowry
12. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
10. Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
9. A Wrinkle In Time series by Madeline L'engle
8. Graceling series by Kristin Cashore
7. Percy Jackson And The Olympians by Rick Riordan
6. Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
5. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3. Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
2. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
1. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

"Even though they were separate stories, I flowed from one story to the next seamlessly because they were set up in a way that was just completely natural." — Miss Remmers

Release Date: January 24th, 2012
Publisher: Random House
Challenges: NetGalley Challenge, eBook Challenge, +75 Challenge

"What makes your heart race a little faster? Just in time for Valentine's Day, it's FALLEN IN LOVE, four wholly original new stories collected in a new novel set in the Middle Ages by Lauren Kate. FALLEN IN LOVE gives fans the much-talked about but never-revealed stories of FALLEN characters as they intertwine with the epic love story of Luce and Daniel. The stories include: Love Where You Least Expect It: The Valentine of Shelby and Miles, Love Lessons: The Valentine of Roland; Burning Love: The Valentine of Arriane; and Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda."

The first short story was probably my favorite, although now that I think about it there were definitely some unrelated loose ends (the hat and it's importance?). Shelby and Miles are two characters that I feel like I've invested in and care about. Roland and Arriane, however, I haven't put any emotional investment into and therefore, sorry to say it, I just didn't really care about their Valentines. Granted, it was interesting to see Roland and Arriane as an MC — but the changing of the POV really threw me off. Not because I couldn't keep up, but because this book is so entirely different than any of the previous novels. At times the style and the tone was so foreign, I had to make sure I was reading the right book by Lauren Kate.

That all said, I loved how intricately woven all four of these stories were. Even though they were separate stories, I flowed from one story to the next seamlessly because they were set up in a way that was just completely natural.

Overall, I'm glad I got this title from NetGalley and I think if I would have, oh, I don't know, read the synopsis, I would have been more prepared. The only other "point five" novella I've read is "Summer's Crossing" by Julie Kagawa, so I was prepared for a novel that had to do with the plot as a whole — not four more or less random (but perfectly linked together) stories.

I also noticed this quote (directly from Shakespeare) that I really appreciated: "Seek happy nights to happy days."

-Visit Lauren around the web here: Website | Goodreads | Twitter
-BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook

To the FTC, with love: eGalley from NetGalley

Here are the books I've received over the past 6 weeks. Lots of great titles I can't wait to read! Thanks for the publishers and authors for these books and other goodies!

Review
The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Partials by Dan Wells
Balthazar by Claudia Gray
The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison
Bewitching by Alex Flinn
Two Truths and a Lie by Sara Shepard
A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford
Gil Marsh by A.C.E Bauer
Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
The Nightmare Garden by Caitlin Kittredge
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
My Awful Popularity Plan by Seth Rudetsky
The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Verra Hiranandani
Daughter of the Centaurs by Kate Klimo
Black Gold by Albert Marrin
The Savage Grace (ARC) by Bree Despain
A Want So Wicked (ARC) by Suzanne Young
Smart Girls Get What They Want (ARC) by Sarah Strohmeyer
For Darkness Shows the Stars (ARC) by Diana Peterfreund
Arise (ARC) by Tara Hudson
Dreamless (ARC) by Josephine Angelini
The Story of Us (ARC) by Deb Caletti
Those That Wake (ARC) by Jesse Karp
Split by Swati Avasthi
Destiny and Deception by Shannon Delany
Cloaked by Alex Flinn
Black Heart by Holly Black
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Trafficked by Kim Purcell
Dead to You by Lisa McMann
Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
Pure by Julianna Baggott (with scary flying butterfly that came out of the book! EEK)
Starters (ARC) by Lissa Price
Vampire's Kiss by Veronica Wolff
All Wounds by Dina James
The Onyx Talisman (signed) by Brenda Pandos (and bookmarks)
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate
The Last Echo swag (for the Dark Days tour posts coming up!)
Poughkeepsie swag (temp. tattoos, train schedule, beautiful bracelet!)

NOT PICTURED
Wanderlust by Kirsten Hubbard
The Immortal Rules (ARC) by Julie Kagawa

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Last week I looked into what books I had read from Good Books and Good Wine 's list of Top 100 YA Books. Now I'm going to challenge myself to see how many I can read before the end of the year.

Here's the list:

Previously On my TBR List

100. Hate List by Jennifer Brown
91. Wings by Aprillynne Pike*
76. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman
73. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
71. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
67. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles*
56. Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine
55. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith
54. Fallen by Lauren Kate*
48. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
43. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
42. Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card
40. Wake series by Lisa McMann
38. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume
36. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
33. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
31. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain*
30. Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr
24. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
22. Uglies series by Scott Westerfield*
21. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
17. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
13. The Giver by Lois Lowry
11. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee*

I'd like to read all of these by December 31st, 2010.
* — Currently on my bookshelf

What do you think? Can I do it?

Welcome to the Back to the Basics class! If you missed a previous class, here are the links:

• Insert an HTML direct link to your blog into comments
• Comment Etiquette

Okay... back to the point. Many people would have you believe that Twitter is very much like Facebook's status updates where you can type what you are doing in 140 characters or less. The reality of Twitter, and I think that those who use it religiously would agree, is that it is much more of a message service (like MSN Messeneger, AIM, or Yahoo Messenger) where you can communicate with hundreds of people who have the same interests as you. For instance, I follow all my favorite blog reviewers, authors, publishers, etc on Twitter. It's also a great marketing tool (again, here's a for instance, all of my posts are automatically fed to my Twitter account with a link and the title). In my opinion, as all of these classes are, Twitter is a great tool to "put yourself out there" and get involved in the book blogging community.

I am currently following 514 people on Twitter — most are book bloggers, many are authors, and the rest my favorite publishers and agents. Because I live in the Midwest and the Twitter craze hasn't exactly caught on yet — my Twitter account is solely for books and blogging. Does that mean I don't send random "tweets" (I hate that word) about my life or the wedding? No, but the primary focus is books and marketing.

If you don't use Twitter (again, to each their own) I think you're missing out on a lot. By "tweeting" back and forth with different authors and reviewers your begin to build relationships that you don't necessarily get from commenting on a post. The response is obviously quicker and you can have more in-depth conversations, despite the character limit. I have received books from authors, publishers, and other reviewers because of Twitter. I've been more aware of what is happening in the book blogosphere because of Twitter. Sheila and I were also the one of the few who attended the first debut author get together at BEA last year due to a quick tweet from Shannon Delany (author of "13 to Life ")! We had the opportunity to talk to so many authors one on one! It was fantastic!

Yes, I'll admit it: I've become addicted to Twitter! I love the conversations, the ability to "stick my nose" in other people's business, to find out the latest bookish news, to connect with bloggers I read consistently, to connect with authors I love... etc. But there's also the business/marketing side to Twitter that is extremely beneficial to blogging.

First of all, before I forget — quick plug to "follow" me on Twitter via @google, send me a quick tweet by putting "@google" at the beginning and mention that you read this post so I can follow you back!

If you've bought into the concept of Twitter, after you've signed up and installed the Twitter app to your desktop for easy and consistent viewing, find a Twitter Button to add to your blog. Mine can be found in the right sidebar. Then, if you really want to go all out, add your Twitter updates as well (again, mine are posted on the right sidebar).

This next part is vital and one of the best parts about Twitter: synch your blog feed to Twitter. Meaning, every time you post (even if it is a scheduled post and you aren't at your computer), the title and link to your post will be automatically tweeted to all your followers. This is a great way to get yourself out there even if you, like most people, are at work or school during the day and can't be on Twitter to get your link out there. I use (and LOVE) Twitterfeed. Another great service that I've used in the past is Google's FeedBurner. Both services are free and easy to use and, like I mentioned, can do wonders for marketing your posts and blog.

You can also synch your Goodreads account to Twitter so that every time your rate, review, or mark to read a book it posts to Twitter automatically as well. You can do this by going into "My Account" and then into "Feeds." Again, this is a simple but extremely effective way to market yourself and your product (blog, reviews, posts, etc).

The next step (if anyone is still reading) is to go out and begin following people. Don't know where to start? Who to follow? Here are a few of my favorite "Tweeters" (link goes to Twitter page):

• @BookaliciousPam from Bookalicious
• @BookJourney from Book Journey
• @MichelleBall from Hooked To Books
• @GReadsBooks from GReads
• @brokeandbookish from Broke and Bookish
• @thestorysiren from The Story Siren
• @shanynlee from Chick Loves Lit
• @booksandwine from Good Books and Good Wine

• Shannon Delany — author of "13 to Life "
• Lauren Oliver — author of "Before I Fall " and "Delirium "
• Julie Kagawa — author of "The Iron King "
• Denise Jaden — author of "Losing Faith "

As always, if you have a question please leave it below!

Do you like to establish relationships with authors? Do you ever have"fan-girl/boy" moments?

Yes, I think its very important to build some kind of relationship with them. Its even nicer when you actually become friends. Oh yes I have had those fan-girl moments and plan to have more soon. — Yara at Once Upon a Twilight
Not really, I do tweet reviews and occasionally I've sent fangirl (like they were FANGIRLY) emails to a few: ) I guess I'm just not cool enough to build up author rapport: P On the fangirl moments. they occur… too often: P — Audrey at holes In My brain
I love to! I actually have the"fan-girl" moments often. Any time an author I love replies on Twitter, or comments on a blog post or Facebook status, I get deliriously happy. — Amanda, Another Book Junkie
I've emailed authors with questions and chatted with them but I wouldn't nessarly call it any thing else. lol yes all the time I end up rambling to these authors before asking the question its so embarrassing. — Kate at Ghost of the still
I love talking to authors! I still totally fangirl when they reply to me on Twitter. Janenifer Echols responded to a couple of my tweets once and I about DIED!: ) I have had a few comment on blog posts and that is just as thrilling! — Missy at Two Readers Reviews

I love getting to know authors, many that I have met are fans like me and just enjoy reading and creating something for everyone to enjoy. I have had two major fan-girl moments and I know all have many more to come. One was meeting Laurell K Hamilton at comic con one year, she was super sweet and was so happy I enjoyed her writing. The other was Sherrilynn Kenyon, my goodness she was such an awesome person and we chatted a bit about those awesome Dark Hunters in her books.
- Kristen at Seeing Night Reviews
I kind of like to establish a relationship with authors. I always feel like a fan-girl. — Darla at DforDarla's Definite Reads
I like to host all kinds of events on the blog, and feature new authors, so with time I build a relationship with a couple of authors. Living so far away, I can't attend signings which really saddens me, but at least my favorite authors are easily reachable through internet =) I'm a complete fan girl for Richelle Mead, Jeaniene Frost, Cassandra Clare & Rachel Vincent, to name only these, but I try to tone it down when talking to them haha. — Tynga at Tynga's Review

I’ve really only met one author. Maria V. Snyder just happened to have a book signing for her first book (Poison Study) at the gift shop where I was working. She was super nice and so down to earth and I thought it would be neat to have a signed book so I bought one without ever having heard of her. I’ve been hooked ever since. I have all of her books (signed) as do my mom, grandma and quite a few friends. I guess you could say if I have one on one contact with an author (and if I like their writing) I have more loyalty to them and I’m more likely to read/buy all of their books rather than just a book here and there. I think I’m also more likely to encourage my family/friends to check them out. My fan-girl moment happened a couple weeks ago at one of Maria’s book signings. I hadn’t been to one of her signings for a while so I had a backlog of books to get signed for me and my family. I walked into the signing with a bag full of books… literally a grocery bag FULL, haha. She was awesome and was totally fine with signing them all! — Jane at At Random

I do! But I also fear that I might be viewed as a pest trying to establish a relationship (not for free goodies purposes) so I tend to get really shy even when trying to write an email. But I have established relationships with a few indie authors and I love talking to them! Oh, have I ever had a fan-girl moment! Everytime I get a tweet/comment/email from an author about my blog or review or responding to a tweet I get those moments. I can't help but feel overjoyed.
- Aimee at Coffee Table Press
I love getting to know authors. My favorite of all is Maria V. Snyder--I feel like I've known her my whole life! My weakest-kneed fan-girl moments are definitely elicited by Neil Gaiman--whom I've never actually met because whenever he's around I get a totally irrational fear response and run the other way. Someday I will actually be in the same place with him at the same time, and retain my composure long enough not to embarrass myself… yeah. Someday. — Alethea at Read Now Sleep Later

My blog is fairly new, so I don't have any relationships with authors, but I have fan-girl moments all the time. If an author re-tweets my review or responds to a comment I made on their blog, I nearly faint with excitement. — Jessica at Brief Book Reviews
I would like to and I think I have while preparing book tours for some of them. I admire their strengths and individuality. They are all an inspiration to me as they have followed their dreams and made them come true. A lot of the authors I do reviews for are self-published, which seems to be a growing trend. — Shirley at My Bookshelf
got a note from Kathi Appelt thanking me for highlighting her book and hosting a giveaway. I was soooooo excited! — Jill at The O.W.L
This hasn't been one of my main objectives, though when it happens, it's amazing. The first time an author replied to me on Twitter I think my heart nearly beat out of my chest. I'm totally a fangirl, but my ultimate freak out would be if I ever got to talk to Sarah Dessen. — Ashley at Book Labyrinth
I want to, but I'm always afraid that I'll come across as being stupid or boring or just say things that they've heard a thousand times before. I do like talking to authors, though, when I get the guts to. It's fun to have a little bit of a brush with greatness. And yes, I fangirl, but not to the authors themselves. I fangirl on the inside, though! — Ria at Bibliotropic
Oh, definitely! If you can't tell already, I love authors. I have extreme fan-girl moments, especially when they talk about upcoming books. — Lucia at iLive, iLaugh, iLove Books
My twitter stream often has authors talking back and forth with me. This week I @'ed with Kiersten White of the Paranormalcy series, anytime I talk to her I go all fan girl. — Rie at Mission to Read
To be honest, I'm still a bit scared to talk to authors. I've spoken to some on twitter though and once Julie Kagawa responded to a tweet I sent to her which promoted a small freak out dance… on my wheeley chair… yep, that ended well, but I was happy! The few I've actually worked up the guts to talk to are crazy nice though! I love how easy twitter makes approaching authors, it really slams home the idea that they are actually people too (which I sometimes forget in my giddiness). — Lisa at BaffledBooks
I never thought I would, and then it was happening accidentally. Now it's one of my favourite things about the blogging experience. So far my most embarrassing fan-girl moment was when I met Suzanne Collins. I was nearly incoherent and I'm not even positive what I said, but I think it was something like"I can't believe you're here, I love these books". Hahahahah! — Rhiannon at The Diary of a Bookworm
I follow authors on Twitter mostly, but I've never really tried to talk to them too much, I think I'm still a little overwhelmed with the fact that I 'can' talk to them at all. I've totally had fan-girl moments, every time an author follows me or replies to me on Twitter I totally freak out, and I have a smile that last for at least half an hour.; ) I'm also friends with some authors on Facebook.: ) — Ambur at Burning.x.Impossibly.x. Bright
I haven't actually established any relationships with authors, I email from time to time asking some questions but I'm not close to any of them. Sad I know. I definitely have fan-girl moments when someone like Lauren Oliver (Delirium) emails me back! — Katie at Books are Dreams
At this point I like having a professional relationship with authors. I do have the"fan girl" moments. Last year I met James Patterson and I think I blacked out during it because I was so nervous. LOL. — Kate at I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read!
Before I started blogging I didn't really think that it was possible to establish relationships with authors. To me, authors were these people who wrote the amazing books I read but weren't necessarily people I had a chance to talk to or connect with. I always find it amazing when an author comments on my review of their book and I basically start squealing in front of my computer screen. And if I get the chance to meet them in person it's even better. Unfortunately there aren't that many authors who come to my area though. — Emilie at Emilie Book World
I have had more opportunities to connect with writers on a writing level than as a reader, however, I did have a squealy fan-girl moment with Miriam Toews. She is so cool. She seemed so young, all jean-jacket and sunglasses on her head, then she mentioned she just dropped her daughter of at university. I also had a lovely correspondence with Steve Heighton for a while.He was very encouraging of my work, really kind to a newbie. When I finally did meet him, I was pretty nervous."I'm just a regular guy," he said. Yeah, sure, a regular guy who can write poetry and short stories like no other. — Kim at Fresh Fish and Foolishness

I haven't established too many author relationships. I'd love to do more and I'm working towards having interviews and such on my blog. I may not act like a 'fan-girl' to their face, but when I have a signed copy of their book, my friends and family must definitely consider it a fan-girl moment. — Jackie at Teen Book Guide

*Part 2 of 3 will be posted soon.
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