The Best Reader [Search results for tangled] 

Random House has recently came out with a line of books to support the theatrical release of Tangled by Walt Disney Pictures. These books are available for ages 2 to 12. Tangled will be coming to theaters tomorrow- Wednesday, the 24th.
Check out Random House for more titles in this line of children's books.

Tangled: A Dazzling Day by David Ann Wooster Illustrator: Britney Lee Publisher: Golden Books/ Disney (September 14th, 2010) Paperback: 24 pages Ages: 3-7 This full-color Pictureback storybook retells a key scene from the swashbuckling, computer-animated comedy, Disney Tangled. Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Price: $3.99 or less.

Thoughts: I adore the illustrations in this book. The colors are bright and seem fit the story perfectly.The words flow around the page and make it fun to read. Rapunzel has a very childlike quality that I think most children will respond well to. Of all 3 books this was the one my 3 year old picked up the most.

Tangled: Read Aloud Storybook Adapted by Christine Peymani Illustrator: Jean- Paul Orpinas Publisher: Random House/ Disney (September 14th, 2010) Hardcover: 72 pages Ages: 3-8 Expect adventure, heart, humor, and hair.. lots of hair, when Disney Tangled comes to theaters Holiday 2010! With over 64 pages of gorgeous full-color illustrations, this hardcover Read-Aloud Storybook retells the complete story of the swashbuckling, computer-animated comedy. Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble Price: $9.99 or less
Thoughts: This book reminds me of the typical storybooks I read as a child. This one is geared towards children who are older. The story is more dramatic, longer, and the illustrations are darker in some sections. It would be a great book to add to the storybook collections many people have from years past. Since it is hardback it's able to withstand a lot of hits and should last a long time.

Tangled: The Junior Novelization by Irene Trimble Publisher: Random House/ Disney (September 14th, 2010) Paperback: 128 pages Ages: 8-12 Expect adventure, heart, humor, and hair.. lots of hair, when Disney Tangled comes to theaters Holiday 2010! The Junior Novelization retells the complete story of the swashbuckling, computer-animated comedy—and features eight pages of full-color movie stills. Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Price: $4.99 or less

Thoughts: This is a great story for older kids who want a more"grown up" book without all the illustrations. It is still just as beautiful on the outside as the other books and it's a great length for young readers. The story is well-written and it's a small, light paperback so it's simple for children to flip through.
Overall: I'm thrilled to see a book collection that spans the ages. For families with children of various ages, this would make the perfect book set to add to their collection. The stories are easy to read, beautiful to look at, and it will be fun for kids who go check out the movie.

*These titles were sent to me for an honest review.

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

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

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

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

Added Late XVI by Julia Karr

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

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

In His Eyes Anthology by Various Authors
Format: ebook (February 14th, 2011)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Authors
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available NOW, just in time for Valentines Day, The Indelibles bring you a one-of-a-kind young adult anthology! Sixteen original short stories, all from the point of view of our favorite male characters — some are old flames from our novels and some were dreamed up especially for this anthology.

Let these imminently crushable, swoon-worthy guys show you what romance looks like – in his eyes.

The contributors to IN HIS EYES include award winners, frequent “Top 100” placers, and hot 2011 debut authors.

Surprise, Surprise by Stacey Wallace Benefiel, author of Glimpse: Half the women in Melody's family can see the future, which makes it nearly impossible for Raleigh to surprise her. What's a guy to do for Valentine's Day when his girlfriend is always one step ahead of him?

First Kiss or First Kill? by C.K. Bryant, author of Bound: Love isn't always rainbows and kittens, sometimes it can be downright deadly. (A deleted chapter from Bound.)

Shattered by Ali Cross, author of Become: James and Desi use each other in an effort to cling to the darkness in each of them, but in the end they discover that love changes you. (A chapter of Become from James’ POV.)

Before by Jessie Harrell, author of Destined: When a younger Eros is exiled to a land that doesn't believe in the Greek gods, he finds the first love of his immortal life. Read Eros' first person account of his romance, and heartbreak, in the time before he met Psyche.

The Qualm Before the Storm by Karen Amanda Hooper, author of Tangled Tides. Yara Jones doesn’t want to be a mermaid. Treygan doesn’t want to be the monster who turns her. You can’t always get what you want. (A short prequel to Tangled Tides.)

Unspeakable by S.R. Johannes, author of Untraceable: When Mo sees a strange girl in the woods, he follows her. He soon realizes they are both in a dangerous position and might not get out alive.

In the Beginning by Katie Klein, author of Cross My Heart: Seth is falling hard for Genesis Green, but the guardian angel is determined not to interfere, until an accident changes the course of their lives forever. (A short prequel to The Guardian.)

A Chance Encounter by Cheri Lasota, author of Artemis Rising: Finnian's eyes hide a terrible secret. But a girl on the train home, the girl in tears with a secret of her own… She sees right through him. A scene from the upcoming novel, Echoes in the Glass.

Family Bonds by Heather McCorkle, author of The Secret of Spruce Knoll: A Halloween party filled with teens who can channel energy and use it to kill, what could go wrong? For Spruce Knoll fans who are dying to read more about Fane.

Getting Closer by Lisa Nowak, author of Running Wide Open: Megan is smart, hot, and an upperclassman—in other words, way out of Cody’s league. So why did she choose him? (An excerpt of Getting Sideways.)

Precalculus by Cory Putman Oakes, author of The Veil: a re-telling of the fateful class period that changed Addison Russell’s life, from Luc’s point of view (a.k.a. Chapter 2 of The Veil from Luc’s perspective)

The Almost Assassin by Laura Pauling, author of A Spy Like Me, releasing Spring 2012: Malcolm tries his hand at the family business but his conscience and a beautiful"spy" may be his downfall.

Mind Games by Susan Kaye Quinn, author of Open Minds: Raf wants to take Kira—the only girl in school who doesn’t read minds—to the mindware Games, but his friends have other plans. (A short prequel to Open Minds.)

By The Firelight by Elle Strauss, author of Clockwise: When Nate McKenzie asks an unpopular girl to dance on a dare, he's in for the time of his life.

A Very Alien Valentine’s Day by Magan Vernon, author of How To Date An Alien: After surviving confinement and an intergalactic war for his human half, Alex, now he has to live through the biggest challenge of them all: Valentine's Day.

Aligned by RaShelle Workman, author of Exiled: A half-Eternal boy and an Eternal girl must free millions of tortured souls from a creature whose been feasting on their pain and suffering.
Review: I love a good anthology. It's a nice break from novel-length stories and often it gives us a glimpse into stories we may not have read in the past. That was exactly what this book was. It was a wonderful book full of cute love stories and perfect for a Valentine's day read.

One of the things i really loved about this anthology is that we get a little explanation of who we will meet before each story. These are often connected to other stories already available by the author. Links are listed as well so it's easy to click on it and go directly to the book page. I found myself doing that often. I would read one of the stories and go back to add the author's book to my list. I was worried I might be confused jumping into different stories that take place in contrasting worlds but that wasn't the case at all. Each story was so amazingly written.

Since these are short stories I won't go into too much detail but I will say that they bring so much emotion in a small package. For example, during the 2nd story First Kiss or First Kill I was cracking up through most of it.

Most people love a good male POV as well so if you are a fan of those, you gotta check this out. It was so adorable to see how these guys felt about love and romance.

In His Eyes was such a cute, enjoyable read. I was happy to get the chance to sample the writings of each author and have added many more titles to my to-read shelf now!

Recommended: Anthology fans. People looking for male POVs, short stories, and new books to read and would like to check out some new authors.

The Indelibles Website

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

"I enjoyed the audiobook and recommend it to any reader looking to return to a world of gowns, princesses, magic, and dancing" — Miss Remmers

Release Date: March 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Challenges: Audiobook Challenge, DAC 2011, 100+ Reading Challenge

"Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her... beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing... it's taken away. All of it.
The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation. Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest. But there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late."
I haven't read a book like this in a long time — a true fairy tale-esque story. Yes I've read loads of fantasy and paranormal books, but it's been forever since I've felt complete transported back in time to a land of princesses and magic. The audiobook was extremely helpful with this particular book in regards to setting the scene and the atmosphere of the fairy tale. The narrator was superb and excellently pulled off that "In a land far away" type of voice.
As for the plot — I did have a few frustrations. There are twelve little princesses — TWELVE! I found this a bit excessive and they all kind of mushed into one princess by the middle of the book. I just don't understand why it was necessary to have TWELVE princesses. Even now, after reading the book, I only remember Azalea, Bramble, and Clover as actually having a personality. I understand that Dixon wanted to illustrate that Azalea was the "mother figure" and that she had a lot on her plate — but honestly, with twelve sisters to remember I had a lot on MY plate!
I was also bothered by the triviality of the main concern of this story — dancing. Now, I love to dance and I never sit out a dance (not even on my wedding night!) but really, if your life basically goes down the toilet and (I'll just say it because I think we can all assume it's going to happen) your mother dies I feel like you're going to be a bit more concerned about other things than dancing. I found this preoccupation with the hobby a bit repetitive and unbelievable.
Wow. That sounds really negative. I don't mean it to be because in reality I enjoyed this audiobook. It was a great listen while walking the dog and I looked forward to those walks because of it. Those two slight annoyances were just that... annoyances. They never ruined the book for me and they didn't (obviously) make me stop listening. I enjoyed Azalea's character although some of her actions may have made me doubt her intelligence (but really, what damsel in distress do you NOT doubt the intelligence?). She was likable and headstrong and she really did have her sisters' best interests at heart. I loved the two main love interests (and the surprising third) and I especially enjoyed the King.
Random point — I felt like there were three different times this book could have ended besides the actual ending. When listening to an audiobook you can't necessarily "see" the end so this was a bit confusing (when all of the tracks are downloaded so you aren't dealing with CDs) and I actually had to go into my iPod option on my phone to make sure I was on the right track.
In short, had I attempted to read this book rather than listen to it I'm not sure if I would have been able to stick to it simply because it is harder to get used to this entirely different atmosphere and scene. The narrator did a fantastic job of whisking me away to this far away land whenever I put my ear phones in. The plot, while centered around the repetitive concept of the love of dancing, did actually fit the feeling of the book and the characters, who melded into a three characters (Azalea, Bramble, Clover, little sisters), were likable and fit well into this fairy tale-esque world that Dixon has created. I enjoyed the audiobook and recommend it to any reader looking to return to a world of gowns, princesses, magic, and dancing.
-Visit Heather around the web here: Website | Goodreads
-BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook

To the FTC, with love: Library Loan Audiobook recommended by Michelle at Hooked to Books

Kimberly Derting, who is one of the sweetest people on the planet, has given me an absolutely amazing honor! I get to bring to you, for the first time anywhere, the Desires of the Dead prologue. *happy dance!*
I am a huge fan of The Body Finder (you can see my review of it HERE) and I can't wait to read Desires of the Dead! So now, I give to you… the prologue!

Prologue
Violet leaned forward on her hands and knees over the frozen landscape. Inside her boots, her toes felt as if icy shards were burrowing beneath her skin and slithering into her veins. Her fingers were very likely frostbitten within her gloves. The flashlight’s beam slashed through the veil of blackness that had settled over the wintry forest, creating a spotlight where Violet had been trying to uncover the ground beneath the soft layer of snow. In her drugged state, she couldn’t be certain that she wasn’t hallucinating as she stared at the man who towered over her. His weathered skin seemed to glow with an unnatural life of its own. It was both strange and beautiful. But her thoughts were thick, and she struggled for each one, dredging them up from the swampy depths of her confused mind. He spoke to her, unaware that her brain filtered his words, jumbling them and making them something less than coherent. She tried to concentrate as the tranquilizing sensation bled through her, deadening her senses. But she was cognizant enough to be afraid—terrified, even—of this man. She could understand enough of what he was saying to recognize that he was disturbed. And dangerous. He’d followed her. In the middle of the night. And even through the haze that distorted her awareness, she realized that he must have known why she was there. That he somehow knew she had found the body. She glanced down at his hand, at what he held there, and her tangled thoughts immediately cleared.
She watched while he gripped the handle of the shotgun tightly in his fingers, and then he looked at her. “I’m really sorry that you found her,” he explained sadly. “I didn’t want anyone else to die.”

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting Publisher: HarperCollins (March 21st, 2011) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 368 pages Series: The Body Finder, book #2 The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.

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

- Kim- I can not thank you enough for letting me post the Desire prologue!
Enter for a chance to win The Body Finder swag Add Desires of the Dead to your Goodreads page

To find out more about Kimberly Derting: Kimberly Derting / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook / HarperTeen

Pre-Order Desires of the Dead: Amazon / The Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

*Check out Lisa's Haunted Halloween post with Kelly Keaton and an international giveaway for an ARC of Darkness becomes her.
*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.

I am "stealing" this from The Story Siren. If you want to find out more about it in my blog. Anyway, these are books I got this week at the bookstore, library, and in the mail, of course.
For Review:

• "Delta" June 2010
• "Based Upon Availability"

• "Sea" — TAC June 2010 SIGNED
• "Perfect Chemistry" — TAC SIGNED
• "Positively" — TAC SIGNED
• "DUFF" — TAC September 2010 SIGNED
• "Fixing Delilah Hannaford" — TAC November 2010 SIGNED

Purchased:

• "Hush Hush" (FINALLY!)
• "Dead Until Dark"
• "Birthmarked"
• "Pride and Prejudice" (As a wedding gift)
• "Thirteen Reasons Why" (eBay)
• "Twisted" (eBay)
• "Willow" (eBay)
• "The Sight" (eBay)
• "By the Time You Read This, I'll be Dead" (eBay)
• BEA
• "Knightley Academy" — BEA Buy after meeting the Author at TAC SIGNED
• "The Secret Year" — Class of 2K10 Meet Up SIGNED
• "Shade" — Class of 2K10 Meet Up SIGNED

• "I Am Number Four" August 2010 SIGNED
• "Delirium" SIGNED February 2011 (2 copies)
• "Reckless" SIGNED September 2010
• "On the Blue Comet" September 2010
• "The Ivy" August 2010
• "Time Riders"
• "Dreaming in Chinese" August 2010
• "What Good is God" October 2010
• "Rivers of Gold"
• "The Saga of Larten Crespley: Birth of a Killer" October 2010
• "Tangled" SIGNED
  
• "Russian Winter" Sept 2010
• "Under the Black Ensign"
• "Under the Black Ensign" Audio
• "Gifted: Finders Keepers" (2 copies)
• "Almost Perfect" July 2010
• "Boys Lie: How Not to Get Played" July 2010 SIGNED
  
• "Gifted: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" (2 copies)
• "Gifted: Better Late Than Never"
• "Radiant Shadow"
• "The Dark Divine"
• "Spirit Bound: A Vampire Academy Novel" SIGNED
  
• "The Red Pyramid" SIGNED
  
• "Nonna's Book of Mysteries" SIGNED
  
• "Witch and Wizard" SIGNED
  
• "Jekel Loves Hyde" SIGNED
  
• "Splendor: A Luxe Novel" SIGNED
  
• "11th Grade Burns" SIGNED
  
• "Emma and the Vampires" (2 copies) August 2010
• "HERO" (2 copies) November 2010
• "You'd be crazy not to... take a chance on me" (2 copies) October 2010
• "Man in the Woods" September 2010
• "The Steps Across the Water" October 2010
• "In the Arms of Mr. Darcy" (2 copies) October 2010
• "I'd Know You Anywhere" (2 copies) September 2010
• "Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates" August 2010
• "Dangerous Neighbors" August 2010
• "Virgin Territory" September 2010
• "The Fireman's Christmas" November 2010
• "Sweet Treats and Secret Crushes" November 2010 Extra Copies!
• "To Kill a Mockingbird"
• "Change of Heart" Class of 2K10 Meet Up SIGNED
• "Freaksville" Class of 2K10 Meet Up SIGNED
• "Before I Fall" SIGNED

July Releases

August Releases

September Releases

October Releases

November Releases (Sorry it's vertical)

2011 Release (SO EXCITED

Extra copies of books to be given away in the near future.

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

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

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