Cool Videos from Penguin!

I've finally had a moment to take my time and browse the Penguin Group's Young Reader's YouTube page for the first time in a while, and I discovered some really neat videos. Here are a few notable ones:

A trailer for upcoming read Incarceron by Catherine Fisher! This one looks so good, I am tempted to move it up my TBR list!



A new teaser video for Paper Towns by John Green, which is now out in paperback!



A video of Susane Colasanti talking about her books Waiting for You and When It Happens!



Enjoy!

Break by Hannah Moskowitz

Ever since his baby brother Will was born eight months ago, Jonah's life seems to be getting worse and worse. His sixteen-year-old brother Jesse has severe food allergies that make it hard to even live in his own home, and he's having more reactions lately. Will won't stop crying, and Dad and Mom seem pretty clueless. Jonah knows that when a bone breaks, it grows back stronger…so he sets out on a mission, breaking his bones to become stronger through skateboard “accidents”. But will his only release break him?

Hannah Moskowitz's debut novel is startling, blunt, and complete absorbing. Jonah is a wholly believable character, and the first person narrative makes it easy to immerse yourself into the story, but will also have you cringing constantly as Jonah plans out which bones he will break next, keeping a tally, and carries out his schemes. Moskowitz is skilled at balancing a myriad of issues that threaten to overwhelm Jonah: his worries and fears for his brothers, friend issues, guilt, and the need to protect everyone, making them believable and engrossing.

The pacing of the novel is excellent; Jonah's dry sense of humor help keep the plot from being too morbid, and Moskowitz's dialogue is pitch-perfect. Though Jonah does allude to certain issues that happened in the past and might have been interesting to learn more about, and the wrapping up of the novel is slightly confusing, the style and pace do stay consistent, making for a riveting and suspenseful read, and the ending isn't cookie-cutter perfect and unbelievable. Break is both gruesome and stunning, one of those books you cringe to read but can't put down.

Cover Comments: This is an excellent cover; it's simple, but quite effective. I like how it isn't completely black and white and red, but has the gray in it, and and the broken bone on the cover has the appropriate effect.

Top 25 Pages on The Compulsive Reader

I've had some people express an interest lately in what my most popular posts are on the website, so with the help of Google Analytics, I generated a list of the 25 pages that have had the most unique hits (excluding old contests). Here is the list as of right now:

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. Ghosts Need Some Love
3. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
4. Being Nikki: An Airhead Novel by Meg Cabot
5. Along for the Ride Excerpt, Read by Sarah Dessen
6. After by Amy Efaw
7. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
8. SLAM by Nick Hornby
9. The Everafter by Amy Huntley
10. Chosen by PC and Kristen Cast
11. Kristin Cashore's Blog Tour: Getting to Know the Characters of Fire
12. Swoon by Nina Malkin
13. Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
14. Fire by Kristin Cashore
15. Moonlight: A Dark Guardian Book by Rachel Hawthorne
16. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
17. Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
18. Suzanne Collins Event!
19. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
20. Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund
21. Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley
22. Penguin Sneak Peek!
23. I'm Back and Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
24. Immortal by Gillian Shields
25. Willow by Julia Hoban

I'll be updating the list weekly right here if anyone's interested (I'll also add the link to the sidebar). It was kind of neat going through and looking at all of the popular posts. Some on that list surprised me, some did not. It shall be interesting to track the progress!

Shiver Fans Rejoice, Linger Cover and Excerpt Revealed!

Today, Maggie Stiefvater unveiled the cover art and the first few paragraphs of Linger, the sequel to her wonderfully amazing book Shiver. Check it out!



Awesome, right? I can't say as I like it as much as I liked the Shiver cover, but I love the style, and the greens in it are gorgeous! Also, Shiver was really neat in that the entire book had cool blue touches throughout, making it fun to page through, so I'm eager to see a finished copy of Linger.

Also, here are the first few paragraphs of Linger!

• grace •

This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one.

Just a few months ago, it was Sam who was the mythical creature. His was the disease we couldn’t cure. His was the good-bye that meant the most. He had the body that was a mystery, too strange and wonderful and terrifying to comprehend.

But now it is spring. With the heat, the remaining wolves will soon be falling out of their wolf pelts and back into their human bodies. Sam stays Sam, and Cole stays Cole, and it’s only me who’s not firmly in my own skin.

Yay! I can't wait! What do you think will happen?

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

Cassie Dasent has always lived in the remote Arctic research station where her father is a scientist studying the movement of polar bears. She loves the cold and ice and never wants to leave, but on her eighteenth birthday, her father and grandmother try to make her do just that. But before they can whisk her off to Alaska, a gigantic speaking polar bear approaches her, luring her away toward the North Pole with tales of fairy tales and a mother who really isn't dead. Cassie is hesitant, but soon she finds herself on an amazing adventure around the top of the world, risking everything for those that she loves.

Sarah Beth Durst's novel Ice is one of the most engaging, imaginative retellings of the old fairy tale East of Sun, West of the Moon. Durst mixes breathtaking magic and wonders with modern day technology and conveniences to craft an unexpected, entertaining, and engrossing tale of love, friendship, and sacrifice that is both adventurous and romantic. Cassie is a daring, obstinate character who is hesitant at first when it comes to love, but when her true love is wrenched away from her, she confronts the obstacles facing her head on, and tirelessly works to get him back, learning the true meaning of love, both familial and romantic, in the process. Ice is as much a fairy tale as it is Cassie's coming-of-age as she balances a myth-like romance with modern day values and ideas.

Durst also employs the use of spectacular and beautiful imagery to describe the brutality and the majestic beauty of the Arctic, and even the boreal forests south of the land of ice. Her words capture the danger, the excitement, and the exhilaration of adventure and true love, making for a spectacular, unusual read you will never want to finish. I simply adored this book, and cannot wait for Durst’s next one.

Cover Comments: I simply adore this cover. The blues in it are gorgeous, and I love the contrast of Cassie's hair. Though you can't really see it in the photo, in real life the cover has a very neat iridescent finish that makes it look even more magical and snow-like. This is a perfect, beautiful cover, and the picture to the left doesn't do it justice.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

In Scott Westerfeld's latest book, an alternate world to our own is on the verge of World War I. Europe is divided into the Clankers, countries who favor advanced fighting machines and more modern technology, and the Darwinists, those who have embraced Charles Darwin's advanced scientific discoveries to engineer animals and ecosystems as fighting machines. Two teens—royal and wanted Alek who sides with the Clankers, and Deryn, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service and is a Darwinist through and through—meet in the great airship Leviathan, and when they do, their lives and the war are forever changed.

Like all of his other books, Scott Westerfeld's latest novel is adventurous, high imaginative, and wonderfully written. This book has so many elements that will draw in a wide range of readers: absorbing battles and escapades, political intrigue, mysteries, and intriguing scientific and mechanical descriptions that are just downright fascinating. But not only is Leviathan a gripping read for all of its action and ingenuity, it is also extremely appealing because of its two main characters, both young, bold teens who are in the midst of growing up, realizing their place in the world and defying conventions. Alek is a spoiled prince in the beginning of the novel, but having to run for his life causes him to think long and hard about his role and his country. Deryn is a spunky, humble, and down to earth girl whose courage is admirable and whose use of slang adds life and humor to the novel. Leviathan is an exceedingly clever, absorbing, and quirky read that has the perfect balance of dated and advanced technology and ideas, and humor and serious plot twists, making for the perfect steam punk read.

Cover Comments: I love the use of color on this cover, and how bold and detailed it is. It grabbed the attention of my non-reader of a brother even and had him exclaiming over it. The best part about this book is that drawing of this style, done by Keith Thompson, are displayed throughout the book, making it that much easier to picture all of the fantastic things Westerfeld describes. This is an excellent cover, I love it!

Writing Contest for YA Writers!

Get in Front of Top YA Editors and Agents with ONLY the First 250 Words of Your YA Novel!

Have a young adult novel-or a YA novel idea-tucked away for a rainy day? Are you putting off pitching your idea simply because you're not sure how to pitch an agent? No problem! All you have to do is submit the first250 words of your novel and you can win both exposure to editors, and a reading of your manuscript from one of New York's TOP literary agents Regina Brooks.

Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary Agency and the author ofWriting Great Books for Young Adults. Brooks has been instrumental at establishing and building the careers of many YA writers, including three-time National Book Award Honoree and Michael Printz Honoree Marilyn Nelson, as well as Sundee Frazier-a Coretta Scott King Award winner, an Oprah Book Pick and an Al Roker book club selection. As an agent, she is known for her ability to turn raw talent into successful authors.

ADDITIONALLY: The top 20 submissions will all be read by a panel of five judges comprised of top YA editors atRandom House, HarperCollins, Harlequin, Sourcebooksand Penguin. All 20 will receive free autographed copies ofWriting Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks. Of the 20, they will pick the top five submissions and provide each author with commentary. These five winners will also receive a free ONE YEAR subscription to The Writermagazine. ONE Grand Prize Winner will win a reading and editorial letter from Regina Brooks and free 10-week writing course courtesy of the Gotham Writer's Workshop.

Please submit all entries via the contest website at http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/YAPitch.php. One entry per person; anyone age 13+ can apply. Open to theU.S. & Canada (void where prohibited). Entries for the YA Novel Discovery Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1 until 11:59pm (ET),

NOVEMBER IS NaNoWriMo

In honor of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org)-an international event where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write an entire novel in 30 days-this contest is meant to encourage the aspiring YA author to get started on that novel by offering an incentive for completing the first 250 words.

So apply now! http://bit.ly/1PYGaN

GREAT PRIZES
The Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to submit an entire manuscript to YA literary agent Regina Brooks AND receive a free, 10-week writing course, courtesy of Gotham Writers' Workshop.

The Top Five Entrants (including the Grand Prize winner) will receive a 15-minute, one-on-one pitch session with Regina Brooks, one of New York's premier literary agents for young adult books. They will also receive commentary on their submissions by editors at HarperCollins, Penguin, Harlequin, Random House, and Sourcebooks. In addition, they will receive a year's subscription to The Writer magazine!

The Top 20 Entrants will receive autographed copies ofWriting Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks.

JUDGING

YA literary agent Regina Brooks, along with editors at Sourcebooks, will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Dan Ehrenhaft, head Acquisitions Editor at Sourcebooks Fire; Alisha Niehaus, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin); David Linker, Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children's Books; Michele Burke, Editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers (Random House); and Evette Porter, Editor at Harlequin. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to four winners and a grand prize winner-all five will be provided commentary on their submissions.

Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein

Albia is secretly the daughter of Macbeth, but thanks to a deformity at birth, she was taken away from Lady Macbeth and secretly sent to live with three mysterious sisters. There, she lives quietly, until disorder comes to Scotland and Macbeth wants to consult with these sisters to learn his fortune. Albia is sent away and she falls in love her father's opponent...and discovers strange powers. She must make a choice--become involved, or ignore what she foresees.

Lady Macbeth's Daughter is a riveting, interesting, and very entertaining story that is complex, yet is seamlessly aligned with William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Albia is a strong, likable heroine, and her story and voice are compelling. Klein's writing is very detailed, and the novel develops between two points of view, Albia's and occasionally Lady Macbeth's. There is a lot of character growth as Albia matures and learns the truth about her parents and their natures, and also grapples with her feelings for Fleance. Though the romance was not especially deep or memorable, it was sweet.

Klein's novel is very clever and one can't help but admire her for the way she builds her characters, each event in the book somehow shaping and forming who they are and how the act. Her character development and more in depth examination of these characters may be interesting for some, as Shakespeare oftentimes leaves his character motivations vague and undefined. After reading this story, readers may come away with a better understanding of each character and the story of Macbeth. This is a very insightful, remarkable read.

Cover Comments: I do like this cover, I think it is attractive without being too busy, and the sunlight on the model's hair is a very neat look. This isn't extremely remarkable, but it suits the book nicely.

Interview with Lisa Klein:

What inspired you to "add to" the original tales of William Shakespeare?

I've long had this kind of "hero worship" of Shakespeare. He is one person I'd like to meet in the afterlife. Or I'd like to time travel to Elizabethan London and follow him around, go to all his plays. My own rewriting of Shakespeare's stories is an effort to understand and participate in his creativity. But being a woman born in the twentieth century, my focus and purpose differ. I want to retell the play from the perspective of female characters that I don't think Shakespeare understood very well--or cared all that much about, except as they set off his tragic heroes.

What sort of research went into writing Lady Macbeth's Daughter and Ophelia?

For Ophelia, which I set in the late 16th century, I relied on what I already knew, since my PhD was in English Renaissance literature. But I also had to research herbal cures, the architecture of castles, convent life, and so on. Plus, I studied Hamlet backward and forward, so I could understand how Ophelia's story would fit in, and where it would depart. Because Lady Macbeth's Daughter was set at the actual time Macbeth lived (1000 years ago!), it was harder to research, because there are no written records from that time. So I read what archaeologists and historians had uncovered, I studied the Highland folklore and folk ways (which remained unchanged for centuries). Most importantly, I traveled to Scotland and visited ruins of ancient forts and stone circles, and forests and bogs, which became key elements of the setting. When it come to Macbeth and the witches, an eerie, supernatural setting is everything!

Is it hard to stay true to the stories Shakespeare wrote and still tell your own story?

Good question! It's a challenge, but one that I enjoy. I respect Shakespeare so much that I don't want to change his plays just for the sake of making my story work. That feels like cheating. In Ophelia I wanted to show readers the possibility of her heroism and survival, in contrast to Hamlet's degeneration and death. In the case of Lady Macbeth's Daughter, I want readers to feel like my character Albia helps to explain the violent, tragic behavior of Macbeth and his wife. My two novels are by no means retellings, but Shakespeare is very much the inspiration and foundation for them.

Are you planning on writing any more books similar to Ophelia and Lady Macbeth's Daughter?

Yes, but I think I'll move away from tragedy and try my hand at something lighter. Don't you agree?

Thanks, Lisa!

Amy Huntley Signing!

This blog post is very late in coming, but rather late than never, right? The Thursday before last, I went to Grand Rapids to meet my book buddy Sara (of The Hiding Spot!) for Amy Huntley's first ever book signing! Amy is a Michigan author, and her debut novel is The Everafter.


Amy talked about where she got her inspiration for the book, some feedback she's received from her students (she's a high school English teacher!), and read a really great, really funny bit from The Everafter about a very embarrassing situation her character was in. She did such a great job!

After that, Sara and I waited at the back of the line, chatting about books and such until it was our turn to talk to Amy. Amy was very gracious, and signed my books and a bookmark for Sara since Sara's copy of the book hadn't been delivered yet. We talked for a long time, and it was such great fun!

And then after THAT, Sara and I hung around the YA section for another hour or so, just going through the shelves and talking about the books we spotted. That was some great conversation, and we had tons of fun. I picked up Hush, Hush and read the slightly different ending that had replaced the one that I read in my ARC, and we even discovered a book or two we hadn't heard of before. It was really fun! Sara was incredibly patient with my short attention span and my ADD-like conversation changes. And my mom and her boyfriend were incredibly patient with us as we babbled about book after book after book...

Anyhoo, do pick up The Everafter! I loved it, and it is such a thoughtful, beautiful book!

DupliKate by Cherry Cheva

As the final weeks of her first semester of senior year approach, Kate can't help but feel majorly overwhelmed. In between trying to write a kick-butt college essay, finishing all of her last-minute work, preparing for exams, and trying to hang out with her friends and boyfriend, she hardly has time to sleep. And matters just worsen when she wakes up one morning to find her easy-going and excitable clone, ready to embrace Kate's social life. With so much on her plate, will an extra Kate make for less work...or just more trouble?

Cherry Cheva's second novel is as funny and enjoyable as her first, and at the same time it tackles an issue that many teens face: overloading themselves with so much work, they lose sight of their priorities. In many ways, Kate is a smart character; she's intelligent, ambitious, and she pushes herself to do well. Her pitfall is that she pushes too hard, to the point where she doesn't know what she wants. Her computer clone Rina does an excellent job in bringing out the best and the worst in Kate, and ultimately shows her what's most important in life, and a series of misadventures that go hand in hand with having a double make for many laughs. DupliKate is a humorous, hip, and engaging read that is not only fun and entertaining, but has a great, empowering message as well.

Cover Comments: This is a cool, very appropriate cover. Anything with purple really catches my eye, and I like how the girls aren't completely identical. The computer animated one fits within the context of the story, and the girls look modern, which will attract an audience now, but I fear may date the book three-five years from now. Nonetheless, it's a great cover!

Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker

Music-loving Quinn is looking forward to spending a fun summer before college in Austin, Texas, the live-music capital. She's got an internship at a record label and a place to crash at her cousin's condo. But when she gets to Austin, not all is she expected: her cousin is a complete sorority girl, her internship is only one day a week, and Russ, the world's most annoying cowboy/frat guy will not leave her alone. One thing's for sure: this will be a memorable summer!

Melissa Walker's fun-filled and light novel is the perfect relaxing, summery read. Quinn is a very smart, confident character, but not too perfect, and Walker's large cast of unique and quirky supporting characters makes Lovestruck Summer quite memorable. Russ is a great male lead: annoying at first, but sweet and genuine, and reading about his and Quinn's misadventures is quite humorous. Walker makes Lovestruck Summer a smart but fun read about the ups and downs of romance with an engaging narrator that's easy to fall for. This book makes a great, budget-friendly pick-me-up.

Cover Comments: This cover is really fun (I love the bright colors used), but it's a bit misleading as it really doesn't have too much to do with the content of the book, which is more about music than anything. Nonetheless, it's a really beach-y one, and this is a great beach-y read.

New Contest: Win a Copy of Girl in the Arena!

A couple of weeks ago, I read an amazing book called Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines, which tells the story of an alternate world in which the gladiator sport is wildly popular in the United States. You can click here to read my review, or here to visit the author's website for more information. If those two links haven't convinced you of this book's awesomeness, then this spectacular video will:

Thanks to the generosity of Bloomsbury, I have three copies to give away to readers...but first I want to know who you would cast as the characters of Lyn, Uber, and Mark. Those of you who haven't read the book but would like to win can still comment for a chance to win, but those of you who have a few actors in mind can comment below with them for extra entries! This contest will run through November 9th, US addresses only please.

So go ahead and comment! This book is very enjoyable and engrossing, and I hope you'll check it out!

P.S. Click here for the main character Lyn's playlist!

Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey

Mulan is the daughter of Hua Wei, the greatest general of all of China. But unlike most honorable daughters with a good name, Mulan isn't very gentle or ladylike. Instead, she lives as simply as a servant in the country, where she hates learning embroidery and instead has convinced her neighbor and friend Li Po to teach her all he knows about fighting and reading and learning. But when the Huns threaten to strike China once more and the emperor demands that each family send one male, Mulan is determined to take her aging and injured father's place. But war isn't always a grand adventure, and having to disguise herself isn't always easy...

Wild Orchid is certainly one of the more enjoyable books in the Once Upon a Time series. Cameron Dokey's magical and lyrical storytelling never gets old, and she has taken an unusual and lesser-known tale and made it enthralling and entertaining. Mulan is a character that readers can respect and sympathize with: bold and strong, but sometimes she’s a confused girl who yearns for parental love. The novel moves quickly, making it an easy and enjoyable read, though it would have been interesting to have a lengthier story that delved deeper into the relationships between the characters, had a more developed romance, and more involved scenes when it came to Mulan’s time in the army. Nonetheless, this is an uncomplicated read that is about love and loyalty and friendship that is easy and enjoyable to read, and a nice departure from the norm.

Cover Comments: At first glance, this cover is really great; I like the colors and the blossoms in the background, and the clothes and the bow and arrow fit. But the girl in the photo looks more Caucasian than Chinese, which is a shame. I will admit, it irks me when the models on covers are so different from the characters they are supposed to represent, but I'm sure this cover will attract readers nonetheless.

Julia Hoban Signing!

Hey everyone,

Friday afternoon my mother and I headed down to Grand Rapids, MI to attend the signing Barnes and Noble was hosting for Julia Hoban, author of Willow! First off, my mom and I met Julia at Olive Garden for an early dinner, where Julia came with one of the coolest handbags ever (she designs her own bags, clothes, gloves, AND parasols, so she is always quite stylish!) and we talked about many books and authors (Charles Dickens, Bleak House, The Woman in White, The Importance of Being Earnest, and other assorted works by Oscar Wilde to be exact) before heading over to the Barnes and Noble.

This Barnes and Noble was brand new, and it honestly one of the largest bookstores I have ever been in. It was open and gorgeous and crowded with books, but sadly the staff was a little disorganized and we were unsure of where to go at first. We finally found our way up to the very large teen section where they had Julia set up and met up with Sara of The Hiding Spot. Unfortunately, she was the only other person who showed up at six! It was a little disappointing, but the weather was really nasty out, so that was most likely a reason.

We did hang around for a little while and Julia sold books to customers who were walking in and out of the store (she's a good saleswoman!) before she invited Sara, my mom and I back to her hotel room where she fed us a ridiculous (and wonderful!) amount of chocolate and we talked about Willow. She gave us a version of her speech and talked about the relationships in Willow, her reason for writing a story about healing, not about cutting, and talked about her writing process. She had me enthralled--I know for a fact that I learned more from her in those two hours about writing than I have in my entire Creative Writing class this whole semester. She really is an excellent and thoughtful speaker!

Overall, it was such an enjoyable night despite the fact that the event wasn't very well attended. However, if you live near Grand Rapids, if you head over to the BN in Woodland Mall, there are a bunch of signed copies of Willow for sale! And if you ever get the chance to hear Julia speak in the future, take advantage of it!

P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures....my camera died on me, and I was frankly too busy talking to take pictures!