"I found myself... having to take out one ear bud because it hurt to listen. Not a physical hurt, but an emotional and mental hurt." — Miss Remmers
Release Date: October 1999 Publisher: Puffin Challenges: Audiobook Challenge, YA List Challenge, Off the Shelf, 100+ Reading Challenge
"When Melinda Sordino's friends discover she called the police to quiet a party, they ostracize her, turning her into an outcast — even among kids she barely knows. But even worse than the harsh conformity of high-school cliques is a secret that you have to hide."
"Speak" has been on my list of things I MUST read for about two years. I finally got around to listening to it.
You undoubtedly remember the discussion last year about "Speak" being a banned book. You know how supposedly powerful it is and how everyone loves it. Well, if I could say any ONE thing about this book that you may not have heard before it would be this: the audiobook's narrator is absolutely fantastic and listening to this novel may even be more powerful than reading it.
I'm not kidding, unlike "The Maze Runner" where the audiobook hindered my enjoyment of the book, this audiobook was amazing. The narrator was absolutely brilliant — so honest, innocent, sarcastic, and believable! I felt like I knew her! The narrator's voice with Halse Anderson's words put such emotion into me!
For instance, several times (not just once) I found myself walking the dog and listening and having to take out one ear bud (I know this sounds crazy) because it hurt to listen. Not a physical hurt, but an emotional and mental hurt. There was even a moment when I was walking and listening and it was rather late at night (around midnight) and at that point in the novel I was actually looking behind me to make sure no one was there! It's been weeks since I've finished this book and that suspicion is still there — the fear!
Besides a fantastic story that was so well written and articulated, this book (and more specifically this audiobook) is the perfect example of VOICE for students. My school district employs the 6+1 writing traits and one of the traits is VOICE. Voice is incredibly hard to teach because 1) it's hard to find and 2) it's hard to do! In the coming weeks as my students get comfortable with their routines and we begin discussing the 6+1 traits, I will be using "Speak" in the classroom to discuss the immense power of VOICE — something Laurie Halse Anderson seems to be an expert at.
-Visit Laurie around the web here: Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter -BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook
Please welcome this week's Guest Reviewer Jasmyn, from Jasmyn's Stuff.
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From Amazon.com...
"Lifelong friends, they went their separate ways. Now they are together again, though each holds secrets from the others in his heart. They speak of a world shadowed with rumors of war. They speak of tales of strange monsters, creatures of myth, creatures of legend. They do not speak of their secrets. Not then. Not until a chance encounter with a beautiful, sorrowful woman, who bears a magical crystal staff, draws the companions deeper into the shadows, forever changing their lives and shaping the fate of the world. No one expected them to be heroes. Least of all, them."
The story of a group of friends reunited after 5 years. Hoping for a peaceful homecoming and reunion they are shocked to find trouble literally on their doorstep. Enter some entrancing new friends to add plenty of extra story and crazy magician to liven things up. Throw a few dragons, and plenty of icky baddies into the mix for an epic tale of good vs evil, where the difference isn't always so easy to see.
The characters all take turns being your favorite, they are not just fictional names, they are brought to life in full color. The good, the bad, and the parts we just aren't sure about yet. They interact with each other and people outside the group in ways that only enhance their personalities. Characters are dynamic, constantly changing, but doing it slowly enough that the reader is able to follow and understand every new trait that emerges. Even the dragons, while each is only shown for a short period of time, scream into the story larger than life (which they should be).
This is a series I come back to every couple years and each time I read it I find myself locked to the pages in suspense, devouring words to see what is going to happen next.
This is a must read for any fan of high fantasy and epic tales. I'll be starting book 2, Dragons of Winter Night, as soon as I can find my copy!!!!
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Thank you so much Jasmyn for the awesome review! I haven't read (or heard) about these books. Thank you!
Please share some book love with Jasmyn over at Jasmyn's Stuff. Check out her original revie w too!
It is now time to vote on the story entries! Thanks to everyone who entered! We really appreciate you all for sharing your stories with us! We do hope that everyone takes time out to read each story before voting for their favorites! You have until this Friday, the 22nd to vote. Voters:
Lisa and I will both be posting the stories.
PLEASE ONLY CAST YOUR VOTE ONCE!
The form is the same on both blogs so duplicates will be deleted.
To vote, put your email address and the number of the story you like into the form.
Email addresses are only used in order to check for duplicate votes.
If you are participating in the comment contest, leave your email with the comment for it to be counted. Same as with the other Haunted Halloween posts.
If you voted, say"I voted!" in the comment and you will get an extra entry into the comment contest.
Vote for your favorite!
Participants:
Feel free to post about the voting starting. Please encourage people to vote for their favorite.
You can cast a vote for your own story, but only once each round.
Rules:
This is Round 1 of voting. It will end Friday, the 22nd.
Round 2 will begin next Sunday, the 24th. It will end Friday, the 29th.
8 stories will continue onto Round 2!
The winners will be announced on Halloween!
For this contest we will be posting excerpts from each story in the order that they were received. If a story grabs your attention, click on the link below to read the rest. The link will take you to the blog post where the story can be found.
Story #1 — Found"Hello my love." Came a horribly familiar voice. I slowly turned around and there he was. My worst nightmare. The last time I saw him he was covered in my blood. My knees felt week and I didn't know if I had the strength to keep them study. He smiled that same dark smile that he had the day he tried to kill me. I thought I had escaped, I thought it was over. As he reached for my hand I knew it would be soon."How I have missed you." He said as our hands met. I felt a tingle run up my arm as he touched me. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, everything that I had worked for, to get past the memory of him was gone. All there was in the world was him and his hand upon mine. I couldn’t bring myself to run or to scream. I was lost in his murderous eyes. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #2 — Invisible Gotta find the exit. I just have to. I don't want to die I am too young. He told me that it wouldn't end like this that if I just give him what he needed then he would leave me and my family alone. I have been running for nearly three days and every time I think I am safe I see his shadow again. It all started back when I met the new kid in school. He was gorgeous nonetheless. Always seemed so perfect and mysterious. Apparently my judgment was correct except for the perfect part. As I grew closer to him the more I drew away from school, friends, and even worse my family. There seemed to be something pulling me deeper into his world, something that was turning me almost invisible to the world around me. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #3 — Sun and Moon The obsidian building towered high into the thunderous clouds, and was surrounded by a large iron-wrought fence. Erus, a grim and depressing boy for his age, stared at the bleak view before him: This was to be his new home: The Orphanage. Erus picked anxiously at his raggedy blue sweatshirt. His dark black hair obscured his vision, but gave him a sharper look. The pale skin of his face often made others think that he was dead, maybe a vampire. Maybe he was, no, he most definitely was. Due to the monumental hunger he felt building up inside him like carbon in a soda bottle. Every sense in his body became more acute, and human blood sang beneath luscious skin. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #4 — Ghost girl This was when I was around 17 years old. My parent move us in to our first house after living so long in an apartment. The house had 3 bedrooms and one bathroom. I was sharing a room with my sister, she was 16 year old. My two brother were sharing the room next to ours. my parents room was across the hallway. My room had the only window a/c unit. Our bedroom was the smallest bedroom and we only had a bunkbed an old tv, those old one that had the wooden box arround and with the big knobs. After a week I was watching tv late one night and the tv out of nowhere turn off. I thought the tv had a short and went to sleep. The next week weird things started to happen. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #5 — The Blood Spirit 1920 It was in the small town of Ashbury, New York that the rumor became. “Oh, Mary, I’ve missed you so much!” “Hahaha, well, I told you I’d return didn’t I, silly boy.” The girl’s sweet voice filled the room. It was like a drug to Everett and he wanted more. He had long awaited her return spending night after night staring longingly into the mirror on his dresser, until she had finally appeared that night. “I thought… maybe you had moved on.” Everett’s voice tried to cover his emotions at the thought of losing his beautiful Mary. Mary, the one that had saved him from all the darkness in his life and now he could barely stand to look her in the eyes because of her beauty. They had shown with understanding, but that was all a mask to help cover up the thing she really was. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #6 — The Current-Day 1900's Spiderman: A Little Boy's Tale A shaggy haired two year old boy with wide eyes watched the hall of his newly built home. Not only was his puppy barking at it but both pet cats were hissing as well. His mommy turned to the hall then back at the display in front of her calling their attention. The little boy dropped his multi-colored duplos and looked to his mommy, his eyes glistening with a look she never seen before, then pointed to the short hall between the living room and the playroom saying one word. “Man.”
The appearances of 'man' didn't stop that one quiet night. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #7 — Friendly Fire Fire. One word. One very short word. And yet, for Kaylee it was the most important word in the world. It was the last thing her mother ever said to her. As a child she had been hurt that her mother hadn’t spoken words of love and encouragement in the last moments of her life, it was only when she was older that she understood the true power behind that one word.
Fire. It brings warmth. It brings light. It brings destruction. And eventually it can bring life. But for Kaylee it brought wonder and mystery and a power so overwhelming that the mere sight of her would strike fear into complete strangers. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #8 — Stranger in the Night"We should dance," Brady smiled. Prom night. I heard a voice."Excuse me," someone said from behind.
"Sorry, sorry" Brady muttered.
Me, I couldn't speak. It was his eyes; they smoldered. I had never seen a guy with black eyes before. Taking one look at his face --pale, chiseled, eerily handsome-- I was totally, totally lost.
"Stephanie," he grinned. I parted my lips, but couldn't speak.
"Stephanie?" I couldn't hear Brady. I couldn't even tell he was still there. Everything was a big, buzzing blur; his hand at my waist, it wasn't even there. I swear it wasn't. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #9 — The Good Mother Our lake is haunted.
Long ago there was a Mother who fell asleep by the water. While she slept her child crawled into the water and was lost.
The Mother, unwilling to accept her child’s death, dove beneath the waves and disappeared.
Supposedly, she searches for him still. Children roaming near the lake on the night her child disappeared will disappear too. She waits to wrap them in her watery embrace. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #10 — Blackbird Sing They say the beautiful song of the blackbird makes it a symbol of temptations. For the most part, I have been a fairly responsible adult during the course of my life. I live in control and in restraint; I have no weakness.
When I approach the enormous tree with the bare and scraggly branches, I see it is full of blackbirds. I should think something is not right. But with a sensible head resting atop my shoulders, omens never affected me. I could shatter a thousand mirrors and still live in good health and in good luck.
My phone shrills in my pocket. I do not want to pick it up. Instead, I gaze at the still blackbirds, with their graceful feathers and beady eyes. Nothing is wrong. Just a tree full of silly birds. I see them all the time. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #11 — The Mattress Kasey never liked hospitals. They just made her feel uncomfortable. Everything smelled like hand soap or old people, and everything was so… sterile. She especially hated it at night when her room's light was turned off. The hallway would still be brightly lighted — yes, even in the middle of the night — but even the small sliver of light that she could see under her door wasn't comfort enough. Being in the dark scared her, and being in the dark alone was even more frightening.
She had had three concussions in the past spring from playing rugby — three too much. She had spent week after week in hospitals attempting to recover, missing school, missing her friends, missing life. She hardly knew what sunshine felt like. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #12 — Lifeless Love Her breath raced as she ran down the hill. Sweat glistened on her face in the light of the half-moon. Her pursuer was not far behind, his long arms flapping limply at his sides. She turned right and hid behind a trash can and prayed he would pass her by.
“Chloe,” He croaked. “Come out. You know I won’t hurt you. How could I hurt you? I love you.”
Silent tears slid down her face. How she wanted to believe those words. But she knew now that he was lost to her.
Footsteps were heard receding into the distance; he was gone, for now. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #13 — Whisper Damien was filled with dread as he crossed the threshold of Milton Manor. Fear emanated from his every pore, clouded his vision, and burned its way through his lungs with each breath.
Then the whispers began…
Get out! You don’t belong here. This is our home!
With each whisper more and more voices joined in, bringing the words to a crescendo, reverberating around Damien’s head and bombarding his mind. The voices began screaming at Damien, commanding him to leave.
Leave now or we’ll kill them all! Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #14 — Howl at the Moon The sharp ululation had my head snap back. Shivers shot up my spine, the harsh wind causing my cheeks to sting. They were coming for me. I tried to cover my scent with the dirt and foliage around me, but it didnt work. They had super noses, and hearing. I tripped over a root and landed on my knees and hands. I muffled a cry. I quickly got up, ignoring the globs of blood appearing on my knees. I could almost here them approaching me. My blood ran cold, my limbs grew stiff even as I stumbled my way through the forest. My breath thickened, blood tricked down my legs. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #15 — The Secret Ball Louisiana, 1862 I could hear the carriage roll on the damp stone path. The path where what had mattered most was silently taken from me. I saw men in white masks embellished with jewels and lined with intricate black lace. The men who took Dylan, my love. Who were they? Why didn’t I panic? “Olivia Preston,” I remembered hearing the husky voice say with invisible lips, “thank you. You’ve done well.” Unfortunately, it’s simple to know who I am. I’m the daughter of James Preston, the wealthiest man in New Orleans. Was Dylan taken because of this? Because of where I come from? Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #16 — Strange Things Are Happening Emily walked towards the sound of the music. Her friend, Mel, and she were on their way home from school when they first heard it, and they had followed it all the way until they came to the source: Shay Manor. Shay Manor had been abandoned for so long that no one could even remember when someone had lived in it last or why they left. The only people who went in the supposedly haunted mansion now were teenagers looking for a scare on the weekends. “Emily! What the—” Mel started, coming up behind Emily. “Shh!” Emily hissed. “Do you hear that?” Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
Story #17 — Under the Bed I folded my arms and did the infamous mom stare in front of my little sister. “Jessie, I thought you were old enough not to believe in this stuff anymore,” I said, shaking my head. “I am a big girl,” my five-year-old sister whined. “But this time it’s different, something is under my bed!” “Look it’s one thing that I missed the biggest Halloween party ever to take you trick or treating, but it’s not fair I have to do this.” For a moment, just from the pleading in her tiny blue eyes, I believed her. I shook it off and let out a deep sigh. “Fine, Kylie, I’ll go look. But just one time. Ryan is coming over in ten minutes and we’re watching a movie.” She stood at the bottom of the stairs, biting her thumbnail nervously as I entered her room. Want to read more? USE GOOGLE
*Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here.
If you vote include"I VOTED" in your comment for an extra entry in the comment contest!
For the third year in a row I am participating in the Crossroads blog tour! This tour will feature 13 outstanding authors and people who follow along with the tour will have a chance to win a KINDLE. The kindle will be preloaded with a title from each author!
To be entered, your readers MUST complete all the research questions (a new one will be posted each day) and email their answers to judithgraveswrites@gmail.com by midnight on October 30th — correct entries will go into a draw for the grand prize.
You can find more details here.
Twitter chat will be:Monday the 29th from 8-9 CST / 9-10 EST.Hosted by Mundie Moms PARTICIPATING AUTHORS Judith Graves – Leap Books – Under My Skin, Second Skin, Skin of My Teeth, Killer’s Instinct
Joy Preble – Sourcebooks – Dreaming Anastasia, Haunted, Anastasia Forever. Soho Press (forthcoming May 2013) – The Sweet Dead Life
Stacey Kade – Hyperion – The Ghost and the Goth, Queen of the Dead, Body & Soul
Amanda Ashby – Speak – You Had Me at Halo, Zombie Queen of Newbury High, Fairy Bad Day, Demonosity
Kiki Hamilton – Teen / Macmillian – The Faerie Ring, The Torn Wing
Jackie Morse Kessler – Harcourt Graphia – Hunger, Rage, Loss
Christine Fonseca – Compass Press – Transcend, Libera Me
Carrie Harris – Delacorte Books for Young Readers -Taste In Boys, Bad Hair Day
Dawn Dalton – Leap Books — SPIRITED Anthology, Killer’s Instinct
Leanna Renee Hieber — Sourcebooks – Darker Still (Magic Most Foul, #1), The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart (Magic Most Foul, #2)
Ty Drago — Sourcebooks – The Undertakers: Rise of the Corpses, The Undertakers: Queen of the Dead
Janet Fox – Speak – Faithful, Forgiven, Sirens ______
PARTICIPATING BOOK BLOGGERS:Late Bloomer Online A Simple Love of Reading Scribing Shadows For What It’s Worth Confessions of a Bookaholic Mundie Moms Book Reviews Most-Wanted Monsters A Life Bound by Books
The tour Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crossroads-Blog-Tour/218310244897337?ref=hl And Twitter account: @TheCrossroadsBT
"This book gave me the tools to better communicate not only with my significant other but with friends, family, and co-workers as well!" — Miss Remmers
From Amazon.com...
"Are you and your spouse speaking the same language? While love is a many splendored thing, it is sometimes a very confusing thing, too. And as people come in all varieties, shapes, and sizes, so do their choices of personal expressions of love. But more often than not, the giver and the receiver express love in two different ways. This can lead to misunderstanding, quarrels, and even divorce. Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service, Physical Touch.
Dr. Gary Chapman identifies five basic languages of love and then guides couples towards a better understanding of their unique languages of love."
This book was recommended to me by one of my best friends when I came to her one day and told her I wished my boyfriend would tell me how he felt about me more often. I told her that we have said the "L" word but he only says it a few times a month. His reasoning is that he doesn't want saying it to become habitual — he wants it to be special. Well, it IS special (I mean my heart beats like a million times a minute and I can't breathe and I get this ridiculous smile on my face), but then the other few weeks or even months I constantly wonder if he feels the same way. My BFF of course asked me why I didn't tell him about and that's because I don't want to be "that" girl. You know, needy, clingy, etc.
This BFF promptly asked me if I had read "The Five Love Languages." I said I hadn't and she explained that she could promptly see that our love languages were different. She said I was obviously "Words of Affirmation" and he wasn't. The next day I bought this book and devoured it within a few hours.
I instantly started analyzing my relationships not only with the boyfriend but with my parents and friends too. I could tell instantly that my best friend and I are so close because we speak the same love language. I sent out a text message to all my best friends and asked them what they thought their love language was and I continued to discover new things about old friends.
Now that I know exactly what love languages I speak (I tied for Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, and Touch) I know how to address what I'm feeling more maturely and without as much raw emotion (hurt, blame, etc). I think the most important part of this book is that it is not about finding a significant other who speaks the same language as you but more that you need to recognize your loved ones needs and learn to adapt to that.
For instance, to use words of affirmation on my boyfriend would accomplish very little because that's not his love language. After having him take the test at the end of the book (he's such a sport) I discovered that his love languages are Quality Time and Receiving Gifts. When I told him that I was "Words of Affirmation" he quickly said, "Well then I need to tell you how much you mean to me more often then!" It worked like a charm! I didn't have to be all whiny: "You never tell me how you feel!" This book gave me the tools to better communicate not only with my significant other but with friends, family, and co-workers as well!
I highly recommend this quick, enlightening read for everyone. What's your Love Language?
Originality: 10/10 Ending: 10/10 Characters: NA Plot: NA My reaction/enjoyment: 10/10 Theme: 10/10 Imagery: 10/10 Setting: NA Voice: 5/5 Style: 5/5 Tone: 5/5 Cover: 5/10 Overall: 60/65 A
Favorite Quotes:
"I am amazed by how many individuals mess up every new day with yesterday. They insist on bringing into today the failures of yesterday and in doing so, they pollute a potentially wonderful day" (44).
"The entire time I read this, I kept thinking: what a great read for middle school boys. My next thought was 'Thank goodness they sent me book two! Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword.'" — Miss Remmers
I read this book in Central Park during BEA!
From Amazon.com...
"August 1611. Jack Fletcher is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan – his beloved father and the crew lie slaughtered by ninja pirates. Rescued by the legendary sword master Masamoto Takeshi, Jack's only hope is to become a samurai warrior. And so his training begins. But life at the samurai school is a constant fight for survival. Even with his friend Akiko by his side, Jack is singled out by bullies and treated as an outcast. With courage in his heart and his sword held high, can Jack prove himself and face his deadliest rival yet?"
This is one of those review books I feel absolutely awful about — I mean, really awful. I put it off and put it off (for months) and the publicist and author were SO nice to me. Chris Bradford even did a guest post! But no matter how much I pressured myself, I could not pick up this book. Finally, when it came time to pack for BEA I decided that I would only bring TWO books: The Paradox of Choice and Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior. After finishing The Paradox of Choice I very begrudgingly picked up this book (simply because I had to).
I quickly realized that I had made a grave mistake.
After the first chapter I was completely enveloped into the story and could not put it down. I just HAD to find out what would happen to Jack. Sheila pretty much had to force me out of Central Park that day! I ended up finishing this book the next day while standing in different lines for autographs at BEA. A few odd looks were thrown my way, I had WONDERFUL new books that people had traveled so far for in my bag, but was reading this book instead — a book that nearly no one seemed to have heard about.
Oh what they don't know.
I'll stop gushing and put myself together for the review.
Apart from this book being absolutely fantastic — the characters were all so clear and each with their own individual voice, the plot was fast moving and well directed, the culture depicted was flawless (well, I don't know since I'm not Japanese... but it sounds legit), and the language was superb. I was a little bit weary, after realizing that the entirety of this novel took place in Japan. I don't speak Japanese. Jack doesn't speak Japanese. I was very curious to see how Chris Bradford could even attempt to bridge this gap between Jack and the Japanese and how Jack would be able to communicate with the Japanese. I simply can't explain how he did it, but Chris Bradford effortlessly seemed to entwine these two impossibly different cultures so successfully that half the time when I was reading I'd forget that Jack was not Japanese! This was one of the most impressive aspects of this book.
The plot was fantastic. Every chapter ended with a "cliff hanger" — which aided the fact that I could NOT put it down! It was fast paced and adventure driven — something my reluctant readers (especially boys) will just love! The entire time I read this I kept thinking, what a great read for middle school or high school (with lower reading levels) boys. My next thought was "Thank goodness they sent me book two! Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword."
There were a few things I didn't necessarily love. The ending came pretty quick — but oh, it was a wonderful ending! So scratch that, now that I think about it, I wouldn't change a thing about the ending. I guess the only thing I can really say I disliked, and yes this will be shallow, was the cover. It was this cover that kept me away from this fantastic read for so long. I'm not sure what it is about it — but I know it will be a "pain in my butt"when I try to sway my boys to read this. I think, as a general society, we are all so driven by the cover of a book, and in this particular case it will be the cover that hinders my students from picking this book up (which is a sad thought indeed).
But hopefully with some pushing and enthusiasm I can get my boys (and girls) to pick this fantastic read up. Stay tuned for a review of Book Two (I forgot to pack it so it's at home) and you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be reading the third as well (out in August).
1. What is one if your favorite lines from Sirens?
I have to give you two lines, two sentences, just because they go together (kind of like my two voices, Josephine and Louise): “We were mirrors, reflections, like in a Coney Island funhouse. One of us would levitate, and one of us would disappear, if you get my drift, and the twist was which of us would do what.”
2. What is the hardest part of writing a historical novel?
The hardest part of writing any novel for me is the first draft. That’s because I’m a “seat of the pants” writer. I don’t outline or plan – I just get it out on paper the best way I can. Now, historical novels require a lot of research, and that actually helps, because I feel the time period and the voice so clearly as I research.
But if I had to say what is the hardest thing about writing historicals? It would have to be making sure that I get it right. I hope I never have to apologize for making an historical mistake – getting a fact wrong.
3. Do you ever have certain “playlists” you listen to while writing?
Actually, not while writing. I need pretty much complete silence while I write. That’s not to say I need to close my doors and windows or anything; but I can’t listen even to music while I’m at the computer. Otherwise I just end up sitting back and singing along. Or standing up and dancing.
However, I often have songs in my head and listen to stuff between stints of writing. Sometimes it’s music of the period and sometimes it’s contemporary stuff that just fits the mood. And I love making up playlists to go with the story as I’m puzzling out pieces while I’m walking.
4. Do you have any strange writing habits?
I alluded to the walking thing – I take a walk every day. If I’m trying to sort out a part of a novel that’s giving me fits I take it with me on the walk. And I find that at about the same place on the walk, each and every day, the answer comes to me, or at least I have a new clue. It’s quite rewarding.
Plus, I get my exercise.
Forgiven by Janet Fox Published: Speak (June 2nd, 2011) Reading Level: Young Adult Series: Faithful, #2 Kula Baker never expected to find herself on the streets of San Francisco, alone but for a letter of introduction. Though she has come to the city to save her father from a cruel fate, Kula soon finds herself swept up in a world of art and elegance — a world she hardly dared dream of back in Montana, where she was no more than the daughter of an outlaw. And then there is the handsome David Wong, whose smiling eyes and soft-spoken manner have an uncanny way of breaking through Kula's carefully crafted reserve. Yet when disaster strikes and the wreckage threatens all she holds dear, Kula realizes that only by unlocking her heart can she begin to carve a new future for herself.
Siren s by Janet Fox Published: Speak (November 8th) Reading Level: Young Adult Series: Faithful, #3 When Jo Winter’s parents send her off to live with her rich cousin on the glittering island of Manhattan, it’s to find a husband and forget about her brother Teddy’s death. But all that glitters is not gold,. Caught up in the swirl of her cousin’s bobbed-hair set—and the men that court them—Jo soon realizes that the talk of marriage never stops, and behind the seemingly boundless gains are illicit business endeavors, gangsters, and their molls. Jo would much rather spend time the handsome but quiet Charles, a waiter at the Algonquin Hotel, than drape herself over a bootlegger. But when she befriends a moll to one of the most powerful men in town, Jo begins to uncover secrets—secrets that threaten an empire and could secure Jo’s freedom from her family. Can her newfound power buy her love? Or will it to ruin Jo, and everyone around her?
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HOW THE TOUR WORKS Each day of The Crossroads Blog Tour, a new research question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page: http://judithgraves.com/events/the-crossroads-tour/crossroads-2012/ and each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all answers by the end of the tour. Answers are to be emailed to judithgraves @ ymail dot com by October 28th at MIDNIGHT. Winner of the grand prize will be announced on OCTOBER 31st – HALLOWEEN. The GRAND PRIZE you’re vying for? A brand new KINDLE, preloaded with a title from each of the participating Crossroads Blog Tour Authors. That’s right folks, a free KINDLE and 13 free EBOOKS!
Today is the second day of"Indie Reviews", a feature where I give short mini-reviews of all the Indie/N ew Adult titles I've read lately. I'll have 3 days of books that received a 4 star rating from me.
Because of Low by Abbi Glines Add to Goodreads
This is book 2 in the series but I haven't read the first one. I really enjoyed this story. Low was a wonderful character and I really felt bad for her. I loved her best friend Cage (hot!) and Cage's roommate Marcus. It was nice that these books all contain the same group of characters. I didn't feel lost even though I hadn't read the first story. I hope to read more from this series soon. There were times when I was frustrated by some lack of communication going on, but overall it was a really enjoyable read.
This series was picked up for publication, I believe, so it has a new cover now.
Charade by Nyrae Dawn Add to Goodreads This was an interesting story because the main character, Cheyenne, pays the guy, Colt, to be her boyfriend for a while. Cheyenne wants to get back at her ex and Colt just wants to be able to take care of the bills since his mother is sick. I enjoyed Colt the most in this story. No, he wasn't perfect, but he tried to do everything for his mother. He just didn't plan on falling for Cheyenne. Nothing really surprised me with this book but nevertheless, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing where the journey took them.
Clash by Nicole Williams Add to Goodreads This is another title that has a new cover because it was picked up for publication. This is book 2 but I skipped book 1. I tried a sample of the first title but it just didn't grab me. I ended up trying this one out and loving it. Jude and Lucy were a great, typically, teen couple. A few parts were frustrating because of miscommunication between the two but I still enjoyed following their romance. They are dealing with a long-distance relationship now and there is a bit of adjustment going on. I do hope to read the third book in the series soon.
The Perfect Game by J. Sterling Add to Goodreads Loved, loved, loved the first part of this book. Cassie and Jack were amazing and had such a cute story. Both characters were likable and I enjoyed the sports angle the story had. This book really had a good college vibe. Then, near the end, Jack makes a hugely, stupid decision and it was just … odd. I didn't believe he would do something like that without much thought. Some parts after that were kind of predictable but it just really took a wrong turn for me. Prepare to be angry at these characters if you read this. Overall, I'm glad I read it and truly enjoyed the first half of the book beyond belief! Book 2, The Game Changer, comes out soon and I do plan to read it.
Down to You by M. Leighton Add to Goodreads This is another title that has been picked up. Notice a trend here? Olivia was a nice character. She is far from perfect but I enjoyed her. Then we meet Cash and Nash. Cash is the bad boy, Nash is the good guy. She knows which one she should want to be with but that isn't the case. I will say that this book throws you quite a curveball. I didn't expect that twist. On the other hand, there were still a few things that just didn't make sense to me. Like, how do you end up in bed with a guy and you're not sure which twin it is? Hmm. Up to Me is the next book in this series. I'm honestly not sure if I will read it. I don't have a strong pull to do so (unlike some other series I read) so who knows. Either way, this one is a fun story with a crazy twist and I know a ton of people who really loved it.
V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram Add to Goodreads This is such a funny story. Val"V" is a virgin who has dis aster strike as the entire school (and beyon d) start s giving her a hard time for her choice to wait till marriage. Instead of hiding away, she starts a campaign to supp ort her cause and she's pretty surprised by how many people end up helping her with it. Then, we throw in a rocker bad boy, Kyle, who is hellbent to destroy her plan and it all creates a wonderful ly, fan tastic read. The interactions be tween V and Kyle were amazing. I loved how spunky V was and how she never backed down f rom Ky le. It was a little rushed at the end, I wanted more! But regardless, I'd definitely reco mmend this one. Great story with terrific characters.
Bad Rep by A. Meredith Walters Add to Goodreads Another great New Adult read. It may be based on the traditional set up we've seen 100 times — girl meets bad boy, falls for him, issues ar ise, blah blah. but it was well written and enjoyable. This story does involve some *gasp* cheating… which is kind of a turn off for me but it didn't ruin Jordan's ch aracter. He wa s a bit more"nice" than I expected from the cover and summary th ough. I didn't really get the bad boy vibe as much as we see in other stories. Maysie was what I'd vie w as the traditional college co-ed, trying to survive school, make money, and have some fun. This may not be one that sticks out to me a s a f avorite but I'm still glad I took the time to read it.
Rock the Heart by Michelle A. Valentine Add to Goodreads Who doesn't love rockers?? This is one of my all-time favorite rocker books. Lane broke up with Noel 4 years ago and, through her job, they end up reunit ing. Eventually, she has to go on the road with him and she learns that even though Noel has changed, he still wants only her. I loved this co uple. The whole"rock star" vibe is very much in this story as well. I am a sucker for books where we get to go on tour with the characters. HOT. T here were times where I was frustrated with the characters but all-in-all, I'd definitely continue with this s eries and see what happens to Noel's band m ates.
Foolish Games by Leah Spiegel Add to G oodreads This was a cute story about some friends following around a bad (yes, more ba nd guys) but it takes a huge twist. Joie is pulled into a plot to help the bands reputation and it ends up risking her life. Hawkins, the love interest, was wond erful. Joie and Haw k ins have a lot of chemistry together but they also were never afraid to speak their minds. T his book also involves a stalker and I loved the whole mystery of it. I thought it was very well-written even though there were times where I just wanted them to tell the frea kin' cop s! I do plan to read the next books in this series and I love that they are based on the same characters. I really want to see wh ere they end up.
I'd like to welcome this week's Guest Reviewer, Esme!
******************** Canadian Author Lawrence Hill is the author of this epic historical novel about the slave trade. In Canada the book was published under the title The Book of Negro. In the United States and elsewhere the book was renamed Someone Knows my Name-due to concerns about book sales and controversy.
No matter what title you choose to read the book under, it is a phenomenal piece of writing. You are introduced to Aminata as an old lady, reflecting on the life she led. The book is told by Aminata, a young twelve year old girl who is kidnapped from her idyllic life in her village along with other villagers. Aminata's childhood is showered with love and education. Her mother has her assist her with her midwifery, her father teaches her from the Quran. When a group of bandits raid and burn her village, this life comes to an end. Having witnessed her mother being brutally murdered, Aminata is forced to walk across Africa to the Atlantic Ocean where she is branded before boarding a slave ship.
Aminata's voyage across the Atlantic proves to be more arduous than her march across Africa. Her wit allows her to make herself helpful on the ship and gain extra food and living conditions while she watches her fellow Africans die of disease and despair.
Aminata is taught how to read by one of the other slaves on the plantation. When she is sold to a Jewish merchant, he continues her education, encouraging her to speak the Queen's English, improve her reading and learn how to how to handle money and the books. Aminata is helped by a free slave during a visit to New York with the merchant. As tensions rise between the British and the Americans Aminata is asked to assist the British compile The Book of Negroes- — a record of Black British loyalists promised freedom and passage to British North America.
The Book of Negroes is a little unknown part of Canadian history. This book's records descriptions and information on African American slaves who fought for the British Crown in the American Revolution. These free slaves were then relocated to Nova Scotia, becoming the first Black community in Canada. Others moved on, via the auspices of the Sierra Leone Company, to Sierra Leone, where they formed the original settlers of Freetown and founded the Krio people. As a Canadian, born and educated in Canada, I was completely unaware of this piece of history until I read the book.
Life in Nova Scotia was encountered with many of same racist attitudes these former slaves had faced in the United States.
Aminata returns to Africa even though the risk of enslavement still exists. Here she meets British abolitionists, who use her as the mouthpiece to end slavery.
This story is truly an amazing combination of history and emotion. Hill tells a memorable story that captures Aminata's desire and dream to return to her homeland. This was one of my favorite reads of 2009. It amazed me that I had never heard of the Book of Negroes or the first Black community in Canada. I was fascinated that a book actually exists recording free slaves that were loyal to the Loyalists. Quite simply I was enthralled by the story of Aminata, and her desire and will to escape slavery.
Born in Toronto in 1957, Hill is the son of a black man and a white woman, civil rights activists Daniel and Donna Hill. His African Canadian heritage and mixed race identity frequently inform his writing. The Book of Negroes is his third novel, following Some Great Thing (1992) and Any Known Blood (1997).
Hill came upon the idea for The Book of Negroes in a book he borrowed from his parents about 20 years ago. The Black Loyalists, written by historian James Walker and published in 1980, tells how black Americans settled in Nova Scotia after serving the British in the Revolutionary War. Walker described how many of these men and women later abandoned harsh racism in Nova Scotia for life in Sierra Leone. Canada, Hill learned, was home to the world’s first “back to Africa” movement. What most captured his imagination, however, was this single, astonishing fact: A number of the blacks traveling to Sierra Leone had originally been born in Africa.
“Wow! What a story,” Hill recalls thinking at the time. “What kind of person – what kind of woman – might have lived in such a way as to be born in Africa, shipped into slavery in the United States, made it up to Canada, and then chose voluntarily to go back to Africa? I was very impressed by the idea.”
In Canada, you can purchase an illustrated version of this book. I saw the book when I was home at Christmas. It is gorgeous with it's illustrations of the lives of black in the 1700's. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great novel or historical fiction. Author Hill has brought to life a little unknown piece of history.
********************* Thank you Esme for such a wonderful review! I've never heard of his book — I'm definitely intrigued. Please visit Esme at Chocolate and Croissants!
It has, literally, been forever since I have done an IMM. I've been swamped with homework and last week we took my daughter to her first concert (post on that to come later). It was a blast! Here are the books I have received over the past month. Special thanks to Random House, HarperTeen, Bloomsbury, Simon & Schuster, Penguin/Speak, Shelley Workinger, Janenifer Echols, and Ednah Walters.
Review Every Little Thing in the World by Nina de Gramont She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott Promises to Keep by Charles De Lint The Forever Crush (Pink Locker Society) by Debra Moffitt Dark Eden (ARC) by Patrick Carman Flawless (ARC) by Lara Chapman Tighter (ARC) by Adele Griffin Wake Unto Me (ARC) by Lisa Cach Moonglass by Jessi Kirby Bitter End by Janenifer Brown The Lucky Kind (ARC) by Alyssa B. Sheinmel Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) (ARC) by Sarah Mlynowski Wildefire (ARC) by Karsten Knight The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (ARC) by Michelle Hodkins We'll Always Have Summer by Janeny Han Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook Bite Club by Rachel Caine Ordinary Beauty by Laura Weiss (2 copies- one for giveaway) Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky (2 copies- one for giveaway) Forgiven (ARC) by Janet Fox Nocturne (ARC) by Christine Johnson Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn Betrayed (signed) by Ednah Walters Everfound by Neil Shusterman Kiss of Death by Lauren Henderson Tighter by Adele Griffin (2nd copy) The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook Passion by Lauren Kate
Swag Betrayed by Ednah Walters(signed) bookmarks Sabine and Kisri by Moira Rogers (signed) bookplates Bitter End by Janenifer Brown (signed) bookplate and bookmark, plus bracelet (not pictured)
Gift Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Signed Love Story by Janenifer Echols Settling by Shelley Workinger (NOTE: I'm blurbed!!)
Other Goodies The Sisters Brothers by Patrick Dewitt (book and signed poster) A giveaway is going on now for a poster just like this one!
Starcrossed Book Trailer
And I just had to share a brand new book trailer I saw yesterday. I just read Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini and it was beyond amazing!! If you haven't added this book to your goodreads list, do it NOW! This book just jumped into my top 3 of this year so far. Check out the UK book trailer!
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.
According to local lore, an old butcher once lived in the woods off Holland Road in Western New York, near the railroad tracks. He liked his privacy, and to frighten would-be tormentors, he cut off the heads of pigs and put them around his property on stakes — that's how he earned his nickname. Well, one night, a few boys decided to ignore the warning and give old Pigman a scare. Instead, the butcher caught them, decapitated them, and put their heads on stakes, jammed into the ground near the old covered bridge.
And Pigman was never seen again… at least, not while he was alive.
Don don don don… don!
Fast forward 60 years. I was 19 years old, and I just got my license. My first car was a 1985 Celica GT 5-speed with 130,000 miles on it, a rusted bumper, and a hole in the gas tank that prevented you from filing it more than 1/4 up. Not bad for $500, right? It took me a while to master the art of stick shift, but I didn't let a little bucking and stalling stop me from escaping my parents' house any chance I got. And rusty or not, that car could MOVE.
One summer night, my friends and I decided to investigate the notorious legend of Pigman for ourselves. We didn't have any high-tech ghost-hunting gear or infa-red goggles, but we did have that 1985 Celica GT, a full (well, as full as it could be with that hole) tank of gas, and the kind of courage you usually find in a group of bored suburban teens with lots of free time and some major Superman complexes.
The rules of Pigman Road, as it was then called, went something like this: You drive down Pigman Road, stop your car under the covered bridge, and turn off the engine. Then, in the pitch black night, you're supposed to call out the name"Pigman" three times, and try to start your car. If your car doesn't start, you die. It's that simple. Party time, right?!
(What can I say? We didn't have the Internet back then. We had to make our own fun.)
We all piled into a couple of cars and headed out toward the tracks. My best friend, her boyfriend, her brother, and I were in the Celica with me behind the wheel. Everyone else was ahead of us in the other cars. We all drove onto the middle of the dark bridge. Killed the engines and removed the keys. Sat in silence for a few minutes to amp up the dramatic tension. And then, the chanting began.
"Pigman," we called in one voice."Pigman. PIGMAN!"
The other two cars started up and took off. From behind the wheel of that old Celica, my whole body shook as I jammed the key back into the ignition. Pushed in the clutch. Turned the key, praying it would start, praying we'd survive this ridiculous rite. The car started, and the four of us let out a collective nervous giggle as we started to roll. And then, poof. The car bucked and stalled. I tried to start it again, but it wouldn't turn over.
"Go! Get the hell out of here!" My friend screamed in my ear. My hands were slippery and shaky. My legs didn't work. I couldn't get the car to start — I just couldn't do it. Four young people in the prime of our lives were all going to die at the hands of some age-old legendary psycho butcher ghost, and it was all my fault. Seconds-that-felt-like-hours later, my friend's boyfriend crawled over to the front seat and shoved me out of the way. He pushed in the clutch, started up the engine, and squealed out of there as fast as we could possibly go in the ol' rustbucket, which, as it turns out, was over 110 miles per hour (kids, do NOT try this at home). None of us could speak. We kept waiting for a train to hit us, the car to skid and careen down the embankment, or a half-man half-pig monster to appear in the back seat with a big meat cleaver, sharpened for the kill.
Minutes passed, the tires rolling down the old dark road, finally slowing to a safer speed. Certain we were out of immediate danger, we pulled over and met up with the rest of our friends at the other, non-Pigman end the railroad tracks. We tried to laugh with them at our own expense, but it's hard to laugh when you're not even sure your heart's still beating. Eventually, encouraged by the friendly taunts and the safety-in-numbers thing, we relaxed. It looked like we might just survive the night after all. Pigman? What a silly little game for silly little kids! Eat me, Pigman! Ha. Ha. Ha.
Ha!
That's when we saw the flashlights bouncing out of the woods. Faster. There were footsteps. Shouts.
"Don't move," a deep voice ordered. A tall man approached the tracks, bright white flashlight blinding us to his appearance."IDs. All of you. Get 'em out."
Another man joined him, bathing us in light. It was one of the few times in our short, trouble-making careers that we were thrilled to be harassed by cops. We tried to explain what the hell we were doing out on the railroad tracks on Pigman Road in the middle of the night, alternately screaming and laughing. We tried to tell them about the legendary butcher and the stalled car and how we almost died, just moments before. It didn't look like they were buying it. But we weren't drinking or anything, and fortunately they hadn't clocked us speeding out of there, so the cops just returned our IDs and shooed us away. I figured they were used to that sort of things — chasing away stupid kids who come to test the Pigman legend for themselves.
Later, I learned that Pigman Road was not only the supposed property of the murderous butcher, but the actual site of a heinous train wreck in the 1860s in which 50 people were burned alive in a flaming train car. Apparently, police monitor the area constantly, many claiming that supernatural activity is rampant under the old bridge. Some think it's the ghosts of the people who died in the train accident. Others — perhaps the officers that tracked us down — believe that the legend of Pigman is real.
Pigman or train passenger ghosts, we survived the night. And the one after that and the one after that. We went back to college, back to work. On to marriages and kids and jobs and real life. And soon the legend of Pigman faded into our collective memories of the best of times, the worst of times, the creepiest of times.
As for the old Celica GT? Well, Pigman's curse or not, that car finally did die a painful death a year later when my friend tried to race it up the side of a mountain to impress a girl.
And now I drive an automatic, just in case.: -)
Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (December 1st, 2010) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 320 pages Things in Delilah Hannaford's life have a tendency to fall apart.
She used to be a good student, but she can't seem to keep it together anymore. Her"boyfriend" isn't much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.
Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family's painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (June 1st, 2009) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 290 pages "Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it." "Okay." "Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?" "Don't worry." I laughed."It's our secret, right?"
According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.
Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.
Prize:
1 winner will receive a signed copy of Fixing Delilah OR Twenty Boy Summer. Winner picks!
Rules:
You must be at least 13 to enter.
Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
Contest is US ONLY and ends November 13th.
Once contacted the winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.
The form must be filled out to enter.
- Thanks so much Sarah for the book donation and story! Find Sarah Ockler Sarah Ockler / Twitter / Blog / Goodreads
Pre-Order Fixing Delilah Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository
Purchase Twenty Boy Summer Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository
* Check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post.
*Reminder: If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please read full entry rules here.
Yes, you heard right. I am expecting... an eReader! I've debated long and hard and am finally ready to make the move (after discovering Net Galley). I don't think I'll purchase many books with it, but I am looking forward to having it for eGalleys and traveling.
After I made the decision of "to buy" or "not to buy" I had to decide which brand of eReader I wanted. This was an easy choice for me: I often refer to Barnes and Noble as the Motherland so there's really no way I could go anywhere else with this important decision.
Then, after deciding on the Nook brand, I had another decision: Nook or NookColor. This was the most difficult decision in this process. I tweeted all last nigh about this dilemma. I love the NookColor because it's new, it's completely touch screen, I could subscribe to magazines, I could tweet status updates, I could surf the web, etc. But I have an iPod Touch that does all of that and eventually I'll have an iPad. It wasn't until very late last night that I realized why I can't get a NookColor. I'm only 23 but my eyes hurt. I look at a computer all day then I blog for a few hours each night. And when I'm not looking at my computer I'm looking at my cell phone or Touch — it's exhausting. Last night all I wanted to do was curl up with a book and let my eyes relax; that is why I decided on a regular ole Nook. I want a device that won't take away from my reading, a device that won't allow me to get side tracked by Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader, and blogging. When I sit down to read I want to be swept away into a great adventure, not into another social networking medium.
Notice my struggle? Remember, read from the bottom up! Thanks Mitalia, Amy, and Pam for being so helpful!
After that long debacle (thanks Twitter for your patience), I had one last small detail to consider: Nook WiFi or Nook WiFi + 3G. This decision came down to the fact that I don't plan on purchasing loads of books with the Nook and really, where are you going to go that doesn't have WiFi somewhere? Michelle (@michelleball) put it perfectly last night:
So, I decided on just the regular Nook WiFi.
This is a pretty big decision for me — I was going to wait a few more months. But this week I was able to "pay off" my student loans (I found a private investor who volunteered to give me a check to pay off the bank and then I can start making payments to him AFTER the wedding at 3% interest — what a deal) and after all was said and paid for I had enough money left over to pay for the honeymoon and some change. This "change" is where my Nook will be coming from.
I, unfortunately, made this decision about 8pm last night and am leaving with my students tomorrow at 8am for an out of town Oral Interp meet. I'm judging — which basically means that I can read and hang out the entire day except for the hour or two when I'm actually listening to kids speak. Plus, I am not a chaperone — no attitude for me! So, I will not be bringing home this mysterious bundle of joy until tomorrow evening when I return (before 8pm). I've done my homework and I am so excited and ready for this next step in my life!
*If you're curious, I wrote this post at 10:38pm on Friday night (after making said big decision) and scheduled it for Saturday since I won't have "real" computer access while with the Oral Interp Team. **If you counted the bolded words that was four decisions made in regards to my eReading adventure. ***Super SUPER huge thank you to Michelle at Hooked to Books for all her advice and help with this huge decision! Thanks for being so patient! I know I was a hot mess last night... er, tonight? Whatever.
Burned by P.C. and Kristin Cast Publisher: ATOM (April 27th, 2010) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 323 pages Series: House of Night #7 Rating: 4 of 5 stars When friends stop trusting each other, Darkness is there to fan the flames…
Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how? He will have to die to do so, the Vampyre High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left…
Enter BFF Stevie Rae. She wants to help Z but she has massive problems of her own. The rogue Red Fledglings are acting up, and this time not even Stevie Rae can protect them from the consequences. Her kinda boyfriend, Dallas, is sweet but too nosy for his own good. The truth is, Stevie Rae’s hiding a secret that might be the key to getting Zoey home but also threatens to explode her whole world.
In the middle of the whole mess is Aphrodite: ex-Fledgling, trust-fund baby, total hag from Hell (and proud of it). She’s always been blessed (if you could call it that) with visions that can reveal the future, but now it seems Nyx has decided to speak through her with the goddess’s own voice, whether she wants it or not. Aphrodite’s loyalty can swing a lot of different ways, but right now Zoey’s fate hangs in the balance.
Three girls… playing with fire… if they don’t watch out, everyone will get Burned. Review: I'll do my best to stay away from major spoilers for this series. I know that several people have stopped reading the House of Night series recently but I still really enjoy the books. I actually think that the most recent books (Burned and Awakened) were very well written and suspenseful. I was worried that this book would be filled with only Zoey's depressed emotions but it wasn't, at all!
Burned does give us several perspectives for this book. It ranges from Zoey, to Stevie Rae, Stark, Rephaim, and others. At times, this was a little too much. I thought that a few things could have been left out (not particularly with these characters but with lesser ones) and the book may have had a little better flow. I admit that Stevie Rae is not one of my favorite characters and I think that is what initially kept me away from the recent books. I knew she was going to have a much larger part as they continued. I think her accent and word choices are a little extreme and draw away from the point of what she is saying. Other than that, I've actually enjoyed her character a lot more in Burned.
Rephaim is a newer character in Burned and we really get a chance to get to know him. I wasn't fond of him, at all, in Tempted but he's grown on me. I'm excited to see what happens with him next. Stark has always been one of my favorites and he has really grown a lot over time. I need more Stark! Zoey continues to amaze me with her strength and spirit. She is a very strong character.
I enjoyed the plot in this book. It still had just as many twists and turns as the previous books. There was never a dull moment. I do think that the drama with Kalona and Neferet needs to end soon. It goes on and on and after a while it will be way too much! I think that the story could have much more going on even long after the Neferet story line is complete.
Overall, I was really impressed with Burned. I still enjoy this series a lot and the characters that I fell in love with long ago. P.C. and Kristin Cast keep coming up with unique ideas and crazy fight scenes that draw me in from page one.
Find P.C. and Kristin Cast Website | House of Night | P.C.'s Blog | Facebook
Purchase Burned Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
The post you are about to read is 100 % **Role Play
All the characters represented here (please see the list of all Role Players provided below ) with the exception of Lisa and myself are **Role Players from a group on twitter. They have agreed to role play with us to help celebrate not only our Halloween Event, but also to help share our love for the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by author J.R. Ward, as these Role Players are also huge fans of J.R. Ward's works.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT NO ONE with this site/blog, Lisa’s site/blog nor the role-playing group — which you can find with the list of twitter accounts provided — is in any way, shape or form connected to or affiliated with J.R. Ward. No one present or represented here is J.R. Ward, nor is the role playing intended for any purpose other than the personal enjoyment of the Role Players involved.
Warning: This story contains mature and adult themes.L/J: *trying to get the topic back on track* Okay then, since were talking about Vampire movies and all, what do you think about the TV shows out there that have Vampires of the non-sparkly variety in them? Such as say… The Vampire Diaries or True Blood?
@Vishous_BDB: Only if we want a laugh, true? @BellaR_BDB: I’ve heard of the shows from some of the followers, but I haven’t watched them. Do you watch them? *glancing at L and J* @Tohrment_BDB: *shakes head* I don't watch shows about teenagers, first. And the True Blood stuff? Some of the humans on twitter complained about it being all wrong, so I've kept my distance.
L/J: So, being that we found you on twitter, which is great and amazing to get a chance to check in with each of you nightly… it looks like you all have fun with it? Was it you @Vishous_BDB who got them all hooked? And if not, how did you all get started with it?
@Vishous_BDB: Yeah I thought it would be a good way to get our stories out there. It worked, we have had several people tell us they read the books because of us.
L/J: @Vishous_BDB Your right, it is a great way to further spread the word about each of your stories.
@Vishous_BDB: *nods knowing I am always right* @Rhage_BDB: I hate to admit he is right *nods at @Vishous_BDB* But he was. @Tohrment_BDB: That's V's big brain working over time again. It's been a good ride, so far. @Phury_BDB: V got us started. At first it did seem awkward for some of us, myself included. But it has been interesting. @Wrath_BDB: I’ll admit to not being completely sold on the idea of twitter at first. I couldn’t figure out who had time for this shit. But as the leader of the vampire race, I’m finding it to be an excellent communication tool as well as the best form of agitation for the @Scribe_Virgin I’ve seen in a couple hundred years. *smirks* @MaryL_BDB: The whole Twitter thing fascinates me. People are so friendly and they genuinely seem to care about us as people, not just us as figments of their imaginations. Maybe you could give us some insight into that. Why do people we don’t know follow our lives so closely? Not that I don’t love it! @BethR_BDB: Everyone is really friendly and supportive of us. @MarissaH_BDB: I have to agree with @BethR_BDB and MaryL_BDB. Everyone has been so kind on Twitter. When things between @Butch_BDB and myself were uncertain so many people has such kind and supportive words.
L/J: @MaryL_BDB & everyone… to answer your question, I think we follow each of you because after reading your stories we feel like we know you, even just the slightest bit. That this is our way to stay connected to you and see where each of you are in your lives while waiting the long way for the next book/chapter to begin within your world. And trust me, it’s a long wait…
L: Actually *blushing* – Jessica dared me to send a message to @Rehvenge_BDB and that’s how this whole interview came about. He suggested I speak to @Wrath_BDB. *Looks to @Rehvenge_BDB*, by the way, thanks again.
@Rehvenge_BDB: *standing, using the cane to lead my way to you* It was my sublime pleasure. *taking up your hand, stroking a thumb over the inside of your wrist… and FEEDING on your anxiety before heading back to the game*
L: *Stares at @Rehvenge_BDB and his purple eyes. Wonder if that really just happened. Hearing @Wrath_BDB’s tone – shaking head to clear the haze bringing me back to the room*
@Wrath_BDB: Rehv. Cut the shit, man. She’s my guest and I won’t have you using her.
L: Well, *still nervous* you somewhat intimidate us, though we thoroughly enjoy following along, so we both lurk. Maybe after this we won’t lurk as much?
@Butch_BDB: What the hell is there to be intimidated of? *grins* @Vishous_BDB: True that.
J: @Butch_BDB — maybe it’s just that each of you, well the males at least, radiate so much testosterone… or it could just be the fangs.
@Butch_BDB: *smirks* @MarissaH_BDB: It’s always nice to talk with everyone one Twitter. But I was nervous about talking with people in the beginning- it was something outside of anything the gylmera would ever have approved. @BethR_BDB: There’s no need to be intimidated. I enjoy talking with everyone.
L/J: @MarissaH_BDB & BethR_BDB – Thank you so much for making us feel so welcome and inviting us in. Thanks to each of you really.
@MarissaH_BDB: *smiles warmly* @Rhage_BDB: Yeah, you should talk to us. A lot.
J: @Rhage_BDB — now that we have had a chance to get to know you all, I definitely think we will be chatting with you a lot more.
@Tohrment_BDB: Hey, reach out, we don't bite *laughs*
L: @Tohrment_BDB *laughing with you* did you really just say that?
@Tohrment_BDB: *thinks to the immediate past* Yeah, I did. *winks* @Qhuinn_BDB: *grins* No lurking allowed, ladies. Maybe a Corona or two will loosen you up a bit?
L: @Qhuinn_BDB *slight smile* well, while Corona is one of my favorite beers, I’d much rather have some Tequila. *blushing*
@Qhuinn_BDB: *Grins at Lisa, holding up a lime and the salt shaker* I've got the Heradurra right here, babe. Body shots on me?
L: *stares at @Qhuinn_BDB Speechless*
J: @Qhuinn_BDB actually, right about now I could use one… Could you pass one over?
@Blaylock_BDB: Truly, be at ease. We really enjoy interacting with our followers. Oh, and ignore @Qhuinn_BDB. I try to. *smiles, blushing slightly*
J: *giggles after drinking* Aww @Blaylock_BDB you’re just too sweet! *walks across the room and touches his cheek. Thinking this Corona is starting to relax me*
@Blaylock_BDB: *blushing brighter at your touch* Thanks.
J: Um, how about a question for each of you? Do you enjoy reading and if so, what’s your favorite type of story?
@Butch_BDB: Mysteries for me. The cop in me never really went away totally. @Vishous_BDB: I love to read. Everything. I have thousands of books. I enjoy anything that makes me think. @Tohrment_BDB: I like to read vampire stories for a good laugh and conspiracy theory fiction. The DaVinci Code wasn't bad. I can also read about cars for days. The Complete Book of Corvette and Porsche: Excellence Was to be Expected are two of my faves. Lots of beauty in those pages. *Thinks about the Stingray* I think that covers it. @Rehvenge_BDB: Mob stories. Big fan. *enigmatic grin* @Zsadist_BDB: *lips curl in a smile* Anything Nalla wants me to read to her.
L: @Zsadist_BDB Oh, I almost forgot – here *passes to @Zsadist_BDB* I brought this book for Nalla. I found it just the other day and thought she might like it. It’s called Cloudette. *smiles*
@Zsadist_BDB: *smiling — nods* Nalla will love it. Thank you *glances over at Nalla and Bella, smile widens* @Phury_BDB: I enjoy reading a wide variety of things. @Wrath_BDB: *shakes head* Unless I can get something in Braille otherwise @BethR_BDB reads to me. I love hearing her voice, so it’s all good. @BethR_BDB: I enjoy anything I can read to Wrath. But I’m not going to lie; I like a good Nicholas Sparks book just as much as the next female. @BellaR_BDB: I like romance novels. *smiles* I like happy ever afters. @EhlenaA_BDB: I read everything I can get my hands on. *looks to @Rehvenge_BDB* I’m currently reading “Mind Manipulation: Ancient and Modern Ninja Techniques”… you know… gotta stay sharp.
J: @EhlenaA_BDB — Same here. I try to read a variety of different books. Never know what ones may turn into favorites. *thinking of picking up that book… never know when it may come in handy*
@MaryL_BDB: I’m very much a reader. Currently I’m reading Our Synaptic Selves, though usually I read the latest in childhood disorders. The field changes so fast, it’s hard to keep up. @MarissaH_BDB: Well, I’ve been enjoying reading books that @MaryL_BDB found for me as wonderful reference points for SafePlace. I continue to feel like there is so much that I don’t know. @Qhuinn_BDB: *runs a hand through my dark, spiky hair* Hmm… Do video game guides count @Blaylock_BDB: *laughs* Um… no, @Qhuinn_BDB, video game guides don’t count. We’ve been pretty busy lately, but I really like Joe Hill. @Lassiter_BDB: I prefer TV.
L: @Lassiter_BDB how did I know you were going to say that? *laughing* J: @Lassiter_BDB oh, do you mean more of those Lifetime Movies that were mentioned before.
@Lassiter_BDB: Exactly. Classy TV. @CormiaC_BDB: I have been devouring every book about architecture that @Phury_BDB has been able to find for me. And human history books. I’m intimately familiar with our race’s history but now I’m curious about other histories.
L/J: This one is for the Shellans – how do you each put up with all the fighting? *glances over to see @Tohrment_BDB and looks away sad to have asked such a question*
@Tohrment_BDB: *Knowing I'm going to have to ride this out, it's what Wellsie wanted for me. Resolved to stick around no matter how thick it gets, trying to focus on sinking my next shot instead.* @MarissaH_BDB: I’d be lying if I said I didn’t worry every time @Butch_BDB goes out hunting--what he does is different than what the other Brothers do, and it will always frighten me. But I trust him, and I trust that he will do everything in his power to come home to me each night. *sees @Butch_BDB watching me, smiles at him in return* @Butch_BDB: *winks at @MarissaH_BDB* @CormiaC_BDB: I knew @Phury_BDB first as the Primale and a warrior, so I always knew this was part of who he is. It doesn’t mean I don’t worry, because I do. But I know that he and his Brothers are fighting for our entire race, and that’s a calling greater than my worry. And besides, he’s already proven he’s stronger than even he knew… *smiles proudly at @Phury_BDB* @DocJaneW_BDB: *Looking up from the plans for the new clinic and shaking my head* You just can't think about it. *glancing over at V who's leaning on his cue, smiling at him* And I'll be damned if I ever lose any of them should they need my expertise. @BellaR_BDB: *looks at Nalla* I worry. I try not to, but I do. *looks over at @Zsadist_BDB* But even while I’m worrying, I know that @Zsadist_BDB will always do everything in his power to come home to us. And I choose to believe that he will. @MaryL_BDB: *sighs* I know it’s important to him, to his Brothers, so I just kiss him before he goes and then hold my breath until he comes home. I think I’m comforted by my pet, the one he calls “the beast”. Well, his beast and I have an arrangement. He keeps my Rhage safe and I scratch him behind the ears when he gets home. *giggles and winks @Rhage_BDB* @BethR_BDB: I know how frustrating it is that @Wrath_BDB can’t be out fighting alongside his brothers, but he has a responsibility to the race as their King which he takes very seriously. I worry about the other warriors who are out in the streets every night, hunting down lessers and keeping us safe. @Wrath_BDB worries about even more than I do, and I don’t like to think of how hard he would take it if something happened to one of them. @EhlenaA_BDB: I don’t worry overly much about @Rehvenge_BDB fighting. His battles are waged on a different field. *taps head*
L: The strength each of you has is amazing. I can hear it in your voices; see it in your body language. The conviction in our words comes shining through when speaking of such a hard subject. Thank you for your honest answers.
@DocJaneW_BDB: *nods* You're welcome. You have to be strong to handle one of these males, trust me. All the women here are tough as nails, couldn't be happier to find myself in their ranks. @BellaR_BDB: *smiling* You’re welcome.
L/J: *gets up to walk around – seeing how natural they all are with each other, makes my/our nerves settle some* (hearing laughing over a game of pool between @Vishous_BDB & @Tohrment_BDB we walk over to check it out.*
@Vishous_BDB: *taking a shot*
L: Who’s winning?
@Vishous_BDB: *nods at @Tohrment_BDB* Want to play winner? @Tohrment_BDB: *Eying the 3 ball, knowing I can bank it in if V misses his next shot*
J: Ohhh, no, we’re still playing Monopoly with @Wrath_BDB, @Rehvenge_BDB, @Zsadist_BDB, @Phury_BDB. We just came over to see what you guys were laughing about?
@Vishous_BDB: Well you did bring up the sparkly vamps so we had to give @Rhage_BDB some flack, true? @Rhage_BDB: *flips V off* @Tohrment_BDB: *shaking my head at all the sparkle talk* @Lassiter_BDB: *still glowing* What is wrong with sparkle? @Rehvenge_BDB: *finally absconding with Park Place AND Boardwalk, nailing the Brothers with sly amethyst eyes* Just hand over your banks now, ladies. *steepled fingers*
L: Who’s winning at the monopoly game? Oh… not sure, but I believe @Wrath_BDB might be. *feeling less and less nervous, but knowing it can return at anytime with so many males of this size packed into this room.*
@Rehvenge_BDB: *pulling all Z’s internal outrage for a snack and replacing it with the overwhelming desire to bake Halloween cupcakes* @Zsadist_BDB: *feeling like I want to bake some cupcakes – shakes head and glares at @Rhevenge_BDB * You Fu… *growls* @Wrath_BDB: *grins* Of course I’m winning. And Rehv? Park Place and Boardwalk mean nada. *laughs* @Rehvenge_BDB: *shouts above the music that it’s Jessica’s turn*
L/J: *looking up at @Vishous_BDB, @Rhage_BDB, @Tohr_BDB & @Butch_BDB over the pool table* we’ll come back again in a few… *walking back over to the couch – noticing @John_MatthewBDB and @Xhex_BDB have joined the group* `1
Be sure to come back tomorrow night for the 3rd and final part of our interview! You won't want to miss out it AND we'll have another surprise tomorrow night as well!
If you would like to follow along with the all the Black Dagger Brotherhood Twitter Role Players is part of this group, please USE GOOGLE to easily follow each character. And trust me, you don't know what your missing! So hurry and follow today!
@FritzDoggen_BDB Online: (updates, notes and information on the Twitter Role Playing Group)
Website | Twitter
Order All 8 books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Preorder book 9 Online here:
Amazon | Borders | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository
Thank you so much to all the characters from the Black Dagger Brotherhood Twitter Role Play group for all the time and effort they have been putting in to help us celebrate not only Halloween and our event, but also our love for all that is the Brotherhood and J.R. Ward.
Reference:
**Role Play
–verb (used with object) 1. to assume the attitudes, actions, and discourse of (another), esp. in a make-believe situation in an effort to understand a differing point of view or social interaction: Management trainees were given a chance to role-play labor negotiators. 2. to experiment with or experience (a situation or viewpoint) by playing a role: trainees role-playing management positions. –verb (used without object) 3. to engage in role-playing.
Interview by Lisa (L) & Jessica (J)
All who are attending?
Playing Pool are Vishous_BDB & @Tohrment_BDB with @Butch_BDB and @Rhage_BDB playing next. Playing Monopoly are @Rehvenge_BDB, @Zsadist_BDB, @Wrath_BDB, @Phury_BDB, and Jessica and I. @BellaR_BDB and @BethR_BDB are playing with Nalla. @DocJaneW_BDB, @MaryL_BDB, @CormiaC_BDB, @EhlenaA_BDB, and @MarissaH_BDB are looking over more plans for the medical facility while waiting for a shellan monopoly. It is much calmer. No daggers. @John_MatthewBDB and @Xhex_BDB come in later, still in honeymoon phase they are… looking happy. @Qhuinn_BDB and @Blaylock_BDB are playing Xbox. @Lassiter_BDB flutters from group to group inputting his two cents. @FritzDoggen_BDB serving crepes and drinks.
Check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post!NOTE: This post will be the same on both of our blogs.
REMINDER: *If you are interested in the COMMENT CONTEST, remember to include your email address with your comment for an extra entry! Please ready full entry rules HERE.
"I feel like I've been humanized by this novel — that I have a deeper understanding and a deeper empathy for girls who struggle with eating disorders... I remember this feeling of suffocation while listening, like I couldn't bare to go on but I didn't dare stop." — Miss Remmers
Release Date: March 2009 Publisher: Viking Juvenile Challenges: Audiobook Challenge and 100+ Reading Challenge
"Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less . If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether. In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak , best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl's chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia."
Wow, after listening to "Eragon" I chose "Wintergirls" simply because I was looking for another audiobook and wanted a story that I had been looking forward to reading for a while. I can't imagine a better way to read this story than by audiobook. The narrator did a fantastic job and the rawness and honesty of the plot has stayed with me the few weeks since finishing. I listened to this book while on my way home to Northern Minnesota for the 4th of July. There was a point, rather towards the beginning, where I stopped to eat at Burger King. I didn't go through the drive thru, but it seemed as though I had. I went to eat my wonderfully "crafted" burger of grease but found myself all of a sudden no longer hungry. I did end up eating the burger, but I threw most of my fries away. It's hard to explain or describe, but as a girl who has never really struggled with food or felt the need to diet hardcore (I have dieted, but it never seems to last very long. Food and I have a very tight relationship) this honest story hit me hard. So hard that even when I was trying to enjoy my time at home (and inevitably pig out) I found myself thinking of Lia and her family. While at first I found myself chastising Lia and Cassie for their disorders and thinking — "Really? Why can't you just eat!" — but so gradually I didn't even notice it was happening I realized how real this life struggle with food can be. I feel like I've been humanized by this novel — that I have a deeper understanding and a deeper empathy for young girls who struggle with eating disorders. I remember this feeling of suffocation while listening, like I couldn't bare to go on but I didn't dare stop. This was such an amazing audio — I just can't state that enough. Absolutely fantastic. -Visit Laurie around the web here: Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter -BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook
1. In the series Vamped, Gina is a total fashionista. If you suddenly became a vampire, would you make sure you were at least a stylish one?
Oh, I would absolutely take vampirism as a mandate to express my inner goth. Right now, I keep it a little on the inside, but I kind of love skull motifs, gothic crosses, Celtic and tribal designs. 2. If you could pick another paranormal character (from the books of one of our fabulous Crossroads tour participants), who do you think Gina would like to “make-over” the most? Probably Will Killian from Stacey Kade’s excellent The Ghost and the Goth. His co-main character Alona describes him as,"total loser material, skin so pale he practically glowed, and shaggy black hair that hung down in front of his creepy blue eyes. Seriously, they were so pale, they were almost white. And hello, he acted like such a freak, always wearing headphones and pulling the hood of his sweatshirt up, even inside the building." Gina, my heroine would say, “Didn’t anyone ever tell him that the Unabomber look was out? As if it was ever in. I’d totally scrap the hoodies and get him into a nice graphic tee and a pair of jeans strategically ripped, not just battered by wear and tear. You can say “Bite Me” to the world so much more effectively with a message tee or some stylized skulls. They tend to freak out the powers that be, but really, fashion is all about getting noticed.”
3. Can you share with us some tips to being a fashionable vampire?
I’ll let my heroine tell it like it is, as she always does! Paraphrased from Gina’s Rules for Surviving Your Senior Prom: #1. On the off chance that the fanged and fabulous are fact rather than fiction, it’s always a good idea to have a death plan. It’s kinda like an emergency plan, but, you know, for death. For example, make sure there’s absolutely nothing in your closet you wouldn’t be caught dead in, because it’s a flippin’ guarantee that’s what they’ll dress you in for the viewing. You also may want to leave some kind of instructions behind about not being buried for four days—at which point you’re either risen or beyond caring—because digging yourself out of the ground, not to mention prying open the damned coffin, is hell on your manicure. #2. Blood is never fashion forward. Chances are as a newly risen vamp, you’re going to be a bit indelicate in your feeding, so you may want to eat first, shop later. #3. Here’s where it gets dicey. Vamps have no reflection. Yeah, don’t even get me started. No way at all to fix your hair and make-up. Who wants to go through eternity a total shlub? I mean, what a cosmic joke, right? My recommendation: turn your own stylist, start an entourage, whatever it takes.
4. Can you tell us the scoop on Vamped book 2, ReVamped? What is in the future for this series?
In ReVamped, Gina and her boyfriend Bobby are sent undercover to infiltrate a New York high school where some seriously weird stuff is going down. Worse than that, Gina’s new super-secret identity is as goth-girl Geneva Belfry. No color palette to speak of. More chains than a bike rack. And don't even get her started on the shoes. At least she won’t be too worried about blood spatter when kicking the butt of her newest nemesis, who’s decided that the high school makes a perfect playground. The next book in the series will be Fangtastic. I don’t have a publication date yet, but in it, the real vamps and the lifestylers meet, issues between the Feds and the fangs come to a head, and Gina and Bobby have to decide which side they’re on. Fangtabulous will come after that. I’m still plotting this one out and have a trip planned this fall to sink into the setting! 5. What other fashionable stories do you have planned for us readers? I have werewolf and vampire short stories out in Esther Friesner’s Strip-Mauled and Fangs for the Mammaries anthologies. Next summer, Samhain will also be bringing out my urban fantasy, tentatively titled Bad Blood. It’s for the adult market, and a bit racier than Vamped or ReVamped, but the same kind of fun and fantasy. Tori Karacis, my fledgling private eye with about the strangest family conceivable, is not nearly as fashionable as Gina. In fact, her idea of couture is all black with a splash of color… easy to mix and match, no fuss, no muss. Black pantsuits, running suits, business suits… you get the picture. In LA that makes her a fashion rebel.
Vamped by Lucienne Diver Publisher: Flux (May 1st, 2009) Reading Level: Young Adult Paperback: 340 pages Series: Vamped, book #1 Gina Covello's Perks and Pitfalls of Vamp Life 1. Hello?! Eternal youth and beauty!
2. Free. Designer. Clothes.
3. My hot new boyfriend Bobby went from chess dud to vamp stud.
4. No reflection! First order of business: turn my own stylist to stop the downward spiral from chic to eek.
5. Vampire vixen Mellisande has taken an interest in my boyfriend, and is now transforming the entire high school into her own personal vampire army. If anyone's going to start their own undead entourage it should be me.
I guess I'll just have to save everyone from fashion disasters and other fates worse than death.
Last week I finished "Entwined," "All Together Dead" and "The Iron Knight" (thank goodness for actually finishing a book). While this is the same goal from last week, I'm hoping to continue with this pattern and say I'll only read one book and finish two!:) But really — if I'm being honest, I'd like to finish "Wildefire" and "Speak" (audio) — but that's hush hush for the sake of karma.
This week (officially) I'd like to read:
"Wildefire" by Karsten Knight
"Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm."
The Eternal Sea (Everlasting #2) by Angie Frazier (Scholastic Press 6/1/2011) Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari (Scholastic 6/1/2011) Stupid Fast by Geoff Herback (Sourcebooks Fire 6/1/2011)
The Vampire Stalker by Allison van Diepen (Point 6/1/2011) The Ivy: Secrets (The Ivy #2) by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur (Greenwillow 6/1/2011) Forgiven (Faithful #2) by Janet Fox (Speak 6/2/2011)
He's So Not Worth It (He's So/She's So Trilogy #2) by Kieran Scott (Simon and Schuster 6/7/2011) The Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski (HarperTeen 6/7/2011) Nyx in the House of Night (House of Night) by P.C. Cast and others (Smart Pop 6/7/2011)
Everlasting (The Immortals #6) by Alyson Noel (St. Martin's Griffin 6/7/2011) My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (6/7/2011) Chicks Kick Butt (Shifters) by Various Authors (Tor Books 6/7/2011)
Crush Control by Janenifer Jabaley (Razorbill 6/9/2011)
Possession (Possession #1) by Elana Johnson (Simon & Schuster 6/7/2011) Hereafter (Hereafter #1) by Tara Hudson (HarperCollins 6/7/2011) Forgotten by Cat Patrick (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 6/7/2011)
If you know of any other new releases for June 1st-13th feel free to add them in the comments so others will know about them!
Monday I will be posting my review of "Source of Miracles," and thanks to Julie at FSB Associates, I am able to post the introduction to the book as a sort of teaser for my review.
Introduction — The Lord's Prayer
Kathleen McGowan
Author of The Source of Miracles: 7 Steps to Transforming Your Life through the Lord's Prayer
On Easter Sunday in the year 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported that two billion people worldwide were united by one powerful common denominator: the Lord's Prayer. On that date, nearly one third of the planet's population
While Christianity has been divided since its inception into factions with theological differences, this single prayer unifies all of them. The content of the Lord's Prayer cannot be affected by dogma or politics. Even while different denominations may make minor variations, the essential words and the teachings they impart remain unchanged since the day that Jesus first taught them to his followers. The two billion souls who call themselves Christians often differ in more ways than they are alike, yet this single prayer is the common ground for all of them. Jesus gave us a prayer so universal and impactful that it would endure for thousands of years and against the harshest odds. It is not only indelible, it is eternal.
The Lord's Prayer is now, as it was when Jesus lived, the incorruptible formula for personal and global transformation.
Most Christians learn the Lord's Prayer in early childhood and can recite it by rote and without effort. It is so ingrained in our memories that we don't even have to think about it.
And therein lies the problem. We don't even have to think about it.
While most of us can rattle off this greatest of prayers and know that it is a cornerstone of Christianity, the full extent of our understanding often ends right about there. Many of us have forgotten the extraordinary power and meaning behind the words, if we ever thought about them to begin with. I learned the Lord's Prayer when I was three years old, in preschool, many years before I would ever know what words like hallowed, trespasses, or temptation mean recited that prayer in their native languages as an expression of faith.t. There wasn't a child in my class who could have told you the meaning behind the prayer, and yet we were all able to recite it flawlessly on Parents' Night. We were taught to speak it on cue, like obedient little parrots who could make the appropriate sounds come out after endless repetitions but had no ability to understand the somewhat exotic-sounding syllables.
I can assure you that we were not taught the origins of the prayer as children, and even if someone had tried to explain it to us, we were far too young to understand it as a dynamic spiritual practice and a fool-proof recipe for creating a joyous and fulfilled life.
So we grow up never knowing that, with the Lord's Prayer, Jesus was giving us the formula for manifesting miracles — not only when we most need them, but on a very regular basis.
While interviewing a random selection of Christians from different denominations, I was stunned to find how few of them even knew that this prayer came directly from Jesus. "Wait a minute — Jesus created the Lord's Prayer?" was the shocked question I heard over and over again. Even some truly devout churchgoers looked at me in surprise when I said this prayer was the work of Jesus. Some didn't believe me, even when I cited the gospel accounts that attest to this origin. One replied, "But they didn't teach us that in school," as if such an omission in our spiritual education were unusual!
But Jesus was, in fact, the author of this most perfectly constructed blueprint for spiritual change. In the New Testament, the Lord's Prayer can be found in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 6, verses 9-13, as a component of his Sermon on the Mount, and then again in Luke, chapter 11, verses 1-4, when one of the disciples asks Jesus to "teach us to pray." And teach us he did. In doing so, he gave us this priceless treasure: a set of simple and unchangeable directions, in the form of a prayer, for discovering the real secret of how to have the life you truly desire — a life filled with love, happiness, and yes, even wealth. The prayer shows us that all these wonderful gifts come about through an increase in faith: faith in God, faith in ourselves, and faith in our fellow humans — in that order.
The Lord's Prayer addresses the issues that hurt us, confound us, and impede our progress, and illuminates the way in which we can overcome these obstacles. The prayer is our guide to purifying our spirit of anything that troubles it and holds us back from being "fully realized" human beings — which is to say, human beings functioning at our highest potential, a potential that leads directly to happiness and abundance. Using this prayer regularly as a spiritual practice creates real and lasting change at the soul level, change which becomes manifest in very earthly, visible ways.
When spoken with faith and intention, these are literally magic words.
On the eve of my thirtieth birthday in the spring of 1993, I became an ordained minister as an expression of my commitment to studying and understanding the teachings of Jesus. Fifteen years, thousands of pages of reading, and hundreds of hours of spirited discussions later, I have come to what some may consider a simplistic, and therefore perhaps controversial, view of Christian teachings. I believe that if you study and hold tight to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, a handful of parables, and what Jesus tells us in Matthew 22, verses 37-39 — love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and love thy neighbor as thyself — then you pretty much have everything you need to live a perfect life and encourage peace on earth. But foremost of these gifts, the center from which all blessings spring, is the Lord's Prayer. While the other elements teach us valuable spiritual lessons, this great prayer is the tool that connects us immediately and directly to the source that is within each of us: the source of faith, the source of love, the source of forgiveness. And in combination, those things are the source of very real miracles.
My own life has been transformed dramatically by utilizing the Lord's Prayer as a regular spiritual practice. As a result, I have witnessed the most miraculous events, including wonders of life and death. I have been blessed with extraordinary abundance and joy. But this was not always the case.
To show you how I came to truly know the Lord's Prayer as the perfect formula for dramatic transformation — and how you can do the same — I must first take you with me into the past, through the once locked doors of a secret society and into the heart of a medieval mystery school.
I must first introduce you to the Mystery of the Rose with Six Petals.
The above is an excerpt from the book The Source of Miracles: 7 Steps to Transforming Your Life through the Lord's Prayer by Kathleen McGowan. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
Kathleen McGowan, author of The Source of Miracles: 7 Steps to Transforming Your Life through the Lord's Prayer, is an internationally published writer whose work has appeared on five continents and in at least fifteen languages. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three sons. Kathleen is a dedicated activist, and commits a portion of her time and royalties to causes that protect women and children from the horrors of human trafficking and sexual slavery. She has teamed with The Emancipation Network and Made by Survivors to fund and participate in programs which provide shelter and safety for victims of abuse, and raise awareness of this global epidemic.
For more information about the book, please visit www.KathleenMcGowan.com.
