The Compulsive Reader

Cover Talk: A(nother) New Look for the Curseworkers Trilogy

2012-01-25T22:42:00.001-05:00

I am a huge fan of Holly Black's Curseworkers books. They're really innovative and different, and the world in which they are set is AWESOME. (Did I mention that I met Holly at a conference in November? It was awesome! She gave an awesome talk about creating worlds and writing. That's me with her afterwards!)

One thing I really like about the covers is that they are very noir and they take a tired red, black, and white color scheme and really make it dark and fun. I especially love the cover of White Cat because it's one I've witnessed both guys and girls pick up.

The fact that publishers often revamp covers of series is something that has always frustrated my complex about having matching covers, but it is something that I've almost come to expect. So I wasn't surprised to see that the Curseworkers books got a cover lift (it's already happened once), but I was surprised to see just how different these new covers are.

Versus:

Note that the first version of Black Heart won't be printed.

I like the use of color in the new covers--very nice. And they continued a theme with Cassel on one cover, Lila on another, and both on the final cover. And I do really like the design--it's very unique and very fun. It demands to be looked at.

My only issue with them is I'm unsure of how well they really fit the books and whether or not a guy will be as likely to pick up the first book. The first covers went along with the content a lot better. And...is it just me, or does the new White Cat cover seem too suggestive of the twist in the book?

What do you think of the cover change?

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Ethan was kidnapped when he was seven years old. Now sixteen, he has finally found his way back to his family, but he doesn't remember them or his life before. This lapse in memory makes it hard for him to fit back in after a nine year absence--his parents are supportive but tend to smother him, his younger brother is angry all the time and isn't welcoming at all, and his six-year-old sister feels like his replacement. Everyone is trying to make things work, but there's a secret being kept--one that, if revealed, could wreak havoc on the family once more.

Lisa McMann's latest book may not have the supernatural elements that fans have come to expect in her work, but it has all of the trademark suspense, mystery, and sharp, direct narrative that make her novels so readable. She hooks you in right away with this intriguing premise, and Ethan's voice. Ethan is a bit damaged--he's been through a lot, and not being able to remember his family is tough. What's even harder are his good memories of Ellen, the woman who took care of him for so many years, when everyone wants to make her out to be a hardened criminal. He desperately wants to fit into his new family life, but his temper and conflicting emotions make the adjustment hard. All the while there remains the mystery of what has really happened to Ethan throughout the last nine years beyond the basic story he tells everyone, and why he willingly went with his kidnapper that fateful day long ago. As you delve deeper into the story, you'll begin to slowly doubt Ethan and race to the end to find out the truth about what happened--with some shocking answers. McMann's abrupt ending adds to the surprise of the final revelation, and definitely makes it memorable--so much so that readers will forgive her for not revealing more details. Fans of McMann won't want to miss Dead to You, and reluctant readers will zip right through it.

Cover Comments: I like this perspective, and the close up of the snow on the face and lashes--it's cool and little bit eerie!

This one will be out on February 7th, 2012!

ARC provided by publisher.

People, Please

2012-01-22T23:59:00.004-05:00

Some of you people confuse me, but thanks for reading the blog.

Shelf Discovery: Austentatious by Alyssa Goodnight

2012-01-22T22:51:00.002-05:00

Okay, I admit that 95% of the reason why I gravitated toward this book in Ingram Advance (the bookstore monthly catalog) was because of its title. You've got to love a good play on words. I am a big Jane Austen fan (I'm bookish and female, so it's like a prerequisite) but I normally stay away from a lot of the unauthorized sequels and modern Jane Austen-inspired stuff because they aren't always good. But there are always exceptions. Like this. And this. This too. (I sense another blog post coming on...)

With a title like Austentatious, I'm willing to give this one a try! Here's what it's about:

"While browsing in an Austin shop, Nicola James finds a blank vintage journal hidden among a set of Jane Austen novels. Even though Nic is a straight-laced engineer, she's still a sucker for anything Austen-esque. But her enthusiasm turns to disbelief once she starts writing in the journal - because somehow, it's writing her back...Itching for a bit of excitement, Nic decides to follow her "Fairy Jane's" advice. The result: a red-hot romance with a sexy Scottish musician who charms his way into Nic's heart in about five seconds flat. But a guy like Sean doesn't exactly fit into her Life Plan. With no one but Fairy Jane to guide her, Nic must choose between the life she thought she wanted - and the kind of happy ending she never saw coming..."

What do you think? What are some of your favorite Jane Austen inspired reads?

E-book Freebies

2012-01-21T22:02:00.002-05:00

Free things are always cool, and free stories by our awesome authors are even cooler. Check out these free stories and samples available now--they can help you find your next work, or maybe just tantalize you until that sequel comes out. And, they're free.

Don't have an e-reader? No problem--you can download the free Kindle app to your computer, phone, iPod, whatever you use!

Dark Days of Winter

This sample contains excerpts from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Bewitching by Alex Flinn, Balthazar by Claudia Gray, Wings of the Wicked by Courtney Allison Moulton, Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, and Slide by Jill Hathaway.

Pitch Dark: Even Darker Days of Winter

This sampler has excerpts from Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, Hallowed by Cynthia Hand, Magic of the Moonlight by Ellen Schreiber, The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting, Everneath by Brodi Ashton, and Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.

Hunger for Dystopian

This all dystopian sampler has excerpts from Divergent by Veronica Roth, Gone by Michael Grant, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Variant by Robison Wells, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, Eve by Anna Carey, and Partials by Dan Wells.

Story Crush

This sampler is all about romantic stories with excerpts from Pretty Little Liars: Ruthless by Sara Shepard, The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith, The Secret Sisterhood Of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten, and Slide by Jill Hathaway.

New Teen Voices

A sampler from Simon and Schuster with excerpts from The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, Witchlanders, Fury, Virtuosity, Dark Inside, and Still Waters!

"Tomorrow is Today" by Julie Cross

This short story goes with Julie Cross' debut novel, Tempest! Tempest is an awesome, awesome book that you should definitely read. I'm excited to dive into this short story!

"Tortured" by Caragh M. O'Brien

This short story is being advertised as a bridge story between her debut, Birthmarked, and its sequel, Prized. I loved Birthmarked, but haven't read Prized yet, and I am looking forward to both the story and the novel!

Tempest Audio Book Excerpt and Giveaway!

2012-01-20T09:56:00.003-05:00

One book that I really, really enjoyed over Christmas break was Tempest by Julie Cross! It's a great time travel romance, but with a lot of action and mystery--more like a Jason Bourne movie than The Time Traveler's Wife. You can read my review here and see the trailer here.

Lucky for us all it came out this week in print and as an audio book! Macmillan has a ton of great audio books that they publish, like Cinder. And thanks to Macmillan, I have an excerpt to share with you all, and a chance to win an audio book!

Also, did you know that there's a free bonus Tempest story available as an e-book?

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Reading Rants: Spectacular Settings II

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

About six months ago, I talked about settings in books that I LOVED. I am big on setting--they can make or break a book, and I think a good setting goes a long way in making a story memorable. So, here's another group of books I love with awesome, memorable settings.

StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

This one is set in a fantasy world where magic is forbidden, and the kingdom is ruled by religious oppression. But the majority of the action takes place in a tiny corner of this world, high up in the mountains. It's the middle of the winter at an old keep, and the characters are snowed in with each other in an ancient castle. The nooks and crannies of the place, and the sense of entrapment, heighten the tension of the plot wonderfully--this is such a good book!

The Leviathan books by Scott Westerfelt

This series is driven by its steampunk setting, and it rocks. The time is alternate 1910's, where war has broken out in Europe. The two forces are the Clankers and the Darwinists, and the two main characters lie of opposite sides, brought together by some unusual circumstance. One of the best parts about these books is the amazing world-building going on. We start out in Britain and western Europe, move East toward Constantinople, breeze through Siberia, and take a tour through North America. This is to say nothing of the ship Leviathan where much of the action takes place--Westerfeld does some amazing things with setting here!

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

The premise of this one is a bit chilling--a stalker kidnaps a teenager in a Bangkok airport and whisks her away to the Australian Outback to live. It's an amazing story, written in the form of a letter from the girl to her kidnapper. I don't know a ton about Australian geography, but the descriptions of the landscape and desert here are just amazing. This is a tremendous book.

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

I love, love, love this book. The writers take a setting that is both chaotic and a bit magical--New York City at Christmastime--and turn it inside out. This book is a scavenger hunt throughout the city, and it is described so well with wit and heart. This is not only one of my favorite Christmas books, but one of my favorite New York books.

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

This retelling of Hansel and Gretal has the magic and intrigue of the original tale. The witch's cottage is a candy shop hidden in the woods of the South in this modern story, and the perfect refuge for homeless teens Gretchen and Ansel. The peacefulness and comfort of the candy shop is juxtaposed nicely with the danger of the witch preying on young girls in a local town. This was a great escape.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

One of the best parts of this book was the amazing Spanish-influenced setting. The arid landscape and the rough terrain that heroine Elisa is forced to travel across are described perfectly, and fit right into her coming-of-age story. I just loved how this setting was really unique to most fantasy books out there now.

What are some of your favorite settings?

Reviews

2012-01-17T20:30:00.001-05:00

I was going to write a post about the drama over reviews and the author-blogger relationship, but Maggie Stiefvater really said it all right here.

Harbinger Trailer!

2012-01-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago, I interviewed Sara Wilson Etienne, whose debut book Harbinger will be out February 2nd! I just saw the book trailer, and it is awesome! Check it out:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

2012-01-16T14:27:00.000-05:00

Hadley Sullivan has been dreading the day of her father's marriage for months. She's been angry with him ever since he left her and her mom for a new life and new woman in London, so avoiding him has turned out to be pretty easy. Then she misses her flight to London by minutes—and ends up meeting Oliver, a British guy on his way home for an event of his own. He talks her through the flight and her claustrophobia, and they connect through shared personal stories and jokes. But will their new friendship last after the plane has landed and they've gone their separate ways?

Jennifer E. Smith's third book is her best yet. From the title to the final page, her words pull you in and make you laugh and cry in turn. Hadley is an excellent narrator—realistic, smart, and still smarting from her father's actions. But despite her pain, she also wants to make amends and doesn't want to lose her father's love—she's just unsure of how to make things right with him again. Oliver is funny and charming from the start, but it's not until a little further into the book that the depth of his character is revealed—he has his own problems and grief to deal with. The issues that both characters have concealed are what allow them to reach out to each other and become friends. There's isn't an instantaneous, unbelievable romance that requires a suspension of belief, but a chance connection with the potential for something more. Smith manages to throw in a few twists that will lead Oliver and Hadley away from each other and back again several times, and she keeps the story fresh with frequent flashback to Hadley's life in the past few years. The book concludes very nicely without a fairy tale ending, but one that is realistic and quite hopeful. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is an emotional, funny, thoughtful book about love, loss, and serendipity.

Cover Comments: I am in love with this cover. I like the illusion of motion around the couple, how they're kissing, and the font and design. It's just so neat, so eye-catching!

ARC picked up at BEA.

50th Anniversary of A Wrinkle in Time

2012-01-16T10:14:00.001-05:00

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle's classic, will be 50 years old this year! To celebrate, I'm a part of the 50 Years, 50 Days, 50 Blogs tour!

You can stay up to date with everything A Wrinkle in Time here, on the Facebook page, and follow the tour here.

Another cool thing about the 50th Anniversary of A Wrinkle in Time is the cool new edition of the book that's being released! Check it out:

The 50th Anniversary Commemorative edition features:

• Frontispiece photo*†
• Photo scrapbook with approximately 10 photos*†
• Manuscript pages*†
• Letter from 1963 Caldecott winner, Ezra Jack Keats*†
• New introduction by Katherine Paterson, US National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature †
• New afterword by Madeleine L’Engle’s granddaughter Charlotte Voiklis including six never-before-seen photos †
• Murry-O’Keefe family tree with new artwork †
• Madeleine L’Engle’s Newbery acceptance speech

* Unique to this edition † never previously published

Do you remember the first time you picked up this book? I know I was about 11 years old, and my school library had a worn copy with the centaur and rainbow on the cover. I was intrigued (especially after discovering Harry Potter and Tamora Pierce) and I fell in love pretty quickly. A Wrinkle in Time is one of those books that I've thought about a lot over the years, but not one I've re-read enough.

How did you first discover A Wrinkle in Time? And if you haven't read it yet, definitely don't hesitate to pick up one of these beautiful new copies!

Shelf Discovery: The Hunger Pains

2012-01-15T10:38:00.000-05:00

Now, I might be one of the few that thinks this is funny, but I just had to share: The Hunger Pains by the Harvard Lampoon, a parody to The Hunger Games. Among the Harvard Lampoon's parodies are Nightlight (Twilight) and The Girl With the Sturgeon Tattoo (just guess). They're stuff is usually pretty good and not tacky, like some parodies I've seen.

So, here's what this one is about:

"WINNING MEANS WEALTH, FAME, AND A LIFE OF THERAPY, LOSING MEANS DEATH, BUT ALSO FAME!

THIS IS THE HUNGER PAINS

When Kantkiss Neverclean replaces her sister as a contestant on the Hunger Games—the second-highest-rated reality TV show in Peaceland, behind Extreme Home Makeover—she has no idea what to expect. Having lived her entire life in the telemarketing district’s worst neighborhood, the Crack, Kantkiss feels unprepared to fight to the death while simultaneously winking and looking adorable for the cameras. But when her survival rests on choosing between the dreamy hunk from home, Carol Handsomestein, or the doughy klutz, Pita Malarkey, Kantkiss discovers that the toughest conflicts may not be found on the battlefield but in her own heart . . . which is unfortunately on a battlefield."

We stumbled upon this one at the bookstore while browsing through some catalogs and thought it was pretty funny. Not sure if we'll get it in when it comes out (on February 7th) but it's pretty funny nonetheless.

What have you discovered lately?

Tempest Trailer!

2012-01-13T18:19:00.000-05:00

Did you see the trailer for the awesome book Tempest? It's pretty cool! Check out my review here!

Cinder Audio Book Giveaway!

2012-01-10T00:00:00.001-05:00

Marissa Meyer's debut novel, Cinder, came out last week and it has already been pretty popular here on the blog. It's a sci-fi retelling of Cinderella with some interesting twists. You can click here to read my review, and here to read my interview with Marissa.

Did you know that you can also get it on audio book as well? Macmillan has tons of titles available both in print and as audio books, and they've offered a sample of the audio book here. You can listen to the excerpt by clicking play below!

Want to enter for a chance to win an audio book of Cinder? Simply fill out the form below!

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Class of 2k12: Caroline Starr Rose

2012-01-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Class of 2k12 is a group of YA and MG authors making their debuts in 2012! I was lucky enough to ask most of them two questions about their debut novels. Today I have Caorline Starr Rose, author of May B. on the blog!

About May B.:

"I've known it since last night;

It's been too long to expect them to return.

Something's happened.

May is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead—just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May's memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she's determined to find her way home again. Caroline Starr Rose's fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, gives readers a strong new heroine to love."

I think is sounds absolutely fabulous!

Here's Caroline!

TCR: What was the hardest partabout writing your book?

CRS: First drafts are always hard for me. Because my story is inverse, the words often took a long time to form. A good writing day meant I’dadded 250-350 words. I remember one of my critique partners looking at an earlyportion and saying, “How are you going to sustain this? Writing like this woulddrive me crazy!”

It was intense, but it was also the truest way for me to tellMay’s story.

TCR: What was the easiest?

CRS: In a lot of ways May’s voice was very clear right from the start.I wanted a straightforward, somewhat bleak tone to permeate everything, a styleI’d found throughout all the first-hand accounts of pioneer women I’d read. Atthe same time, I wanted to be able to convey her determination, courage, andhope as the story progressed. Verse let me get as close to the bone as I couldwith this character, to expose her deepest fears and longings in ways prosewouldn’t have allowed me to do.

Thank you, Caroline! May B. is out today, so be sure to pick up a copy! And check out carolinestarrrose.com for more info!

Tempest by Julie Cross

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Jackson Meyer has a rather unique ability—he can jump back in time. He can never go back very far, and nothing in the past ever changes as a result of his traveling. That all changes the day that his girlfriend Holly is shot and Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, only to find himself stuck in a time period in which Holly doesn't even know him. Desperate to get back to the future to save her, he delves into his past to figure out just what he's capable of and who is after him.

Julie Cross's debut novel will grab you from the very first page. Jackson's narration is quick and witty, and he's very engaging. His easy-going nature makes him likable and experiments in time travel are fascinating, but the story really gets going when Holly is shot in 2009 and Jackson finds himself stuck in 2007. He is forced to examine the consequences of his every jump in time and dig into his family's secrets. What he discovers—trained guards shadowing him throughout his childhood, genetic testing, and a struggle between two forces that spans an inestimable number of years—will shock him, and put him in danger. At the same time, Jackson strives to get close to 007 Holly in an attempt to prevent her death in 2009, and he struggles with the guilt he feels for being a part of her life and putting her in so much danger. Cross does an excellent job at building their relationship in both time periods and creating little differences between 007 Holly and 009 Holly. This thrilling book has lots of action, mind-bending plot twists, and high stakes. The ending may be hard to swallow for some readers, but thankfully we still have two more books to look forward to in what's sure to be an outstanding trilogy.

Cover Comments: I am love with this cover! It's done by the same person who did the Hush, Hush cover, and it's so striking. I like the way the two figure are falling and trying to reach out to each other. Love it!

This one will be out January 17th, 2012!

ARC provided by author's agent.

Q&A 4

2012-01-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more questions from the inbox!

Q: (Referring to Best Books of 2011)

A: Yep! Here is the list for 2010, and here is the list for 2008. I don't know what I was doing in 2009--obviously I was slacking off.

A: I spend way too much time looking at books on Amazon.com, that's how.

Mostly I'll stumble upon a book that's priced way lower than it normally is, and then there will be links to other similarly prices items on that page. Or sometimes I'll get an email directly from amazon about special deals they're having. Then I just poke around until I've compiled a list and I then I share with you all on here and on Twitter!

A: 120.

Q: What books did you read in 2011? Could you please list them?

A: Here you go, if you can read my handwriting:

A: I actually didn't get any...I have too many to read already! But I did get the latest version of Jane Eyre on DVD, and a cool t-shirt that says Lowood Institue, which is pretty awesome!

Got a question? Shoot me an email or leave it in the comments!

Cover Talk: Please Ignore Vera Dietz Cover Change

2012-01-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite books of 2010 was Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King (click here to read my review). Her books are all a little unusual and quirky, and I like how so far all of her covers have matched that. The cover for Please Ignore Vera Dietz was really surprising to me at first, and I wasn't sure how well I liked it. The color, the lighter, and the font have really grown on me, though. Check it out:

Cool, right? And I was even more excited when it became a Printz Award finalist, so that cover now has an awesome silver sticker on it as well! I've been eagerly waiting for it to come out in paperback, but I was a little bummed when I saw what it would like like.

I don't hate this cover--I actually think it's really cool. I like how the girl has her back to the audience and is walking down the middle of the trees, and I think the way that King's name is written is neat. It coveys the sense of solitude and lonliness that Vera feels quite well. It's just not as unique nor as eye-catching as the original cover.

Which one do you prefer?

And if you haven't read this one, go pick it up now, or when it comes out in paperback on April 10th, 2012!

The Fault in Our Stars Trailer!

2012-01-06T00:00:00.001-05:00

I'm very excited about the release of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, which will come out next week, January 10th! I just pre-ordered it on Monday and I can't wait for it to come in--hopefully just on time and not any earlier so as to not tempt me. I just saw the trailer yesterday on Entertainment Weekly, and it was awesome, so I thought I'd repost!
Did you like the music? It's a song called Permafrost by Laurena Segura, and Penguin is offering a free download of the entire song on their Facebook page!

I also thought I'd share some other TFiOS-themed videos since John Green is a genius in front of the camera:

The vlogbrothers announcement in which he promises to sign all first print copies (which means you should pre-order before it goes into a second printing!):

John reading the first chapter:

Have you pre-ordered your copy yet?

Shelf Discovery: Steampunk Poe

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

I was processing an order when I stumbled upon this little book. At first I had a little trouble deciding where to put it (Classics didn't seem right, so I ended up popping it in YA). Steampunk Poe is not a book of re-written Poe stories in steampunk settings. Rather, it is a collection of his original, untouched stories accompanied with steampunk illustrations. I've read so many of Poe's stories through the years, so while I didn't take the time to read the book cover to cover, I did flip through it and look at the pictures. They are really well done and fascinating. It's easy to unlock a whole other world when looking at these and reading the stories--Poe's words really to lend themselves to a steampunk setting.

This is an excellent book for fans of Poe or steampunk in general--very imaginative! It's a great idea.

Looking Ahead: J. Anderson Coats and The Wicked and the Just

2012-01-04T10:00:00.001-05:00

Looking Ahead is a feature in which new upcoming books and their authors are featured! Take a minute to read the interview, get to know them, read about their book(s), and find them on the internet!

Today I have J. Anderson Coats to talk about her book, The Wicked and the Just!

TCR: Can you describe your book in ten words or less?

JAC: Medieval teens behaving badly in north Wales.

TCR: What has been the most surprising part about your publication process?

JAC: Copyedits. I thought they’d be a breeze since I’m a big grammar nerd and took four years of Latin, but I ended up getting taken to school. At one point, it was pointed out to me that I used the word “gray” three times in two paragraphs. This is why I love my copyeditor.

TCR: What was your reaction when you saw your book cover?

JAC: I loved the contrast of the sun against the black sky and ground, and the purply tones of Caernarvon Castle made for a dramatic slash of color between them.

TCR: Where can we stay up to date on you and your book?

JAC: My website is http://www.jandersoncoats.com, and I spend a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter (@jandersoncoats).

Thanks so much! Read on to learn more about The Wicked and the Just!

"Cecily’s father has ruined her life. He’s moving them to occupied Wales, where the king needs good strong Englishmen to keep down the vicious Welshmen. At least Cecily will finally be the lady of the house.

Gwenhwyfar knows all about that house. Once she dreamed of being the lady there herself, until the English destroyed the lives of everyone she knows. Now she must wait hand and foot on this bratty English girl.

While Cecily struggles to find her place amongst the snobby English landowners, Gwenhwyfar struggles just to survive. And outside the city walls, tensions are rising ever higher—until finally they must reach the breaking point."

The Wicked and the Just will be out April 17th, 2012!

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

2012-01-03T01:30:00.000-05:00

Cinder is a cyborg—human with mechanical parts that were inserted after a near-fatal hovercraft accident when she was eleven years old. She doesn't remember anything about her life before the accident, and the only life she knows now is drudgery working for her cruel stepmother as a mechanic in New Beijing. But when the prince commissions her to repair his android and the plague strikes close to Cinder, she is suddenly exposed to a new world of secrets and politics that will help her unlock her past, and put her in danger.

Marissa Meyer's debut novel is a fun sci-fi take on the classic Cinderella fairy tale. Meyer's futuristic Beijing is imaginative and a fascinating setting for the story to unfold. There's a lot happening to Cinder in the very beginning of the book to suck the reader in, but the drama surrounding Cinder's past and the political struggles of Prince Kai aren't a huge mystery to the reader. Still, it's easy to just go with it considering that the growing relationship between the heroine and her prince is a lot of fun, and Cinder has a hard time fighting her attraction for him and at the same time hiding the fact that she's a cyborg. There are a couple of twists toward the end of the novel that help set up a few more fairy tale-esque mysteries to explore in future Lunar Chronicles installments, but Cinder winds down pretty quickly with a bit of a cliffhanger ending. This smart and unusual combination of fairy tales and interplanetary politics is engaging, and readers will look forward to future books in this fun new series.

Cover Comments: I like the bright red shoe, and the mechanical parts in the leg, but I admit that I am not a huge fan of the font that the title is in. Oh well, that's just a small thing!

ARC provided by publisher.

Check out the trailer, too!

Reading Rants: Balancing Amazon and the Local Indie

2012-01-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I read an article that really, really upset me about the issue of buying books through Amazon versus a local independent bookstore. I didn't want to jump in with my opinion with the whole rush and cheer of the holidays, but I also really don't want this issue to fade away without offering my perspective--that is, one of an avid reader and book-buyer who works at an independent bookstore, and is also an Amazon customer.

You can read the article to which I am referring to here. The writer, Farhad Manjoo, doesn't seem to have actually spent a whole lot of time in a indie store, so I'd like to point out some points of his argument with which I take offense with.

Bookstores have a "paltry" selection

Implying that bookstores have insultingly small selections is actually pretty insulting. Not every store can everything in the entire world, and you can't get everything from Amazon. No matter which way you look at it, Amazon is always going to have a larger selection because they aren't limited by their customer base or real estate. Yeah, it's pretty nice, but...guess what? If a bookstore doesn't have something in stock, there's a very good chance that, unless you're looking for Obscurist Quarterly, they can get it in the store for you, and I've never been into a store that has charged extra for ordering something (unless it's out of print, self-published, not available in the US, etc.). In the case of my bookstore, we get books in within 2 days of placing the order, and we won't charge you shipping for it! Amazon won't do that for you unless you have Prime.

Bookstore clerks only recommend books they like

Ha and HA! And this is the moment when I knew that Manjoo has never worked in a bookstore.

What he's arguing here is that Amazon offers better recommendations than actual people with actual minds who work around actual books and actual readers for a significant portion of their days. This is where I have to disagree with him. Amazon's recommendations are computer-generated based on what you've purchased in the past, what you've rated, and your browsing history. I have such an eclectic browsing history and have purchased so many gifts through Amazon that my recommendations are utter crap and after tinkering around with the "fix this recommendation" feature, I haven't been able to fix a thing. The only thing that the Amazon feature is good for, in my opinion, is what I call book-hopping--quick clicking to browse through titles and covers and authors to see if there's anything intriguing or new coming up that will grab me. Which, you know, is a lot like window shopping or browsing bookstore displays. That is, they can both be very hit and miss.

When you go into a bookstore and you talk to clerks, you have the benefit of talking to people who observe trends on a first-hand basis. As a bookstore clerk, I listen to what people say about books, what they like, what they're excited about, what they hated, and I see what they buy. Oftentimes people will come back and tell me what they think about the books I've rung up for them. Based on that, I can say I'm fairly good at listening to what people have enjoyed lately and pointing them in the right direction of something that they would be interested in (and I have co-workers who are even better at it than I). Am I sometimes wrong? Oh yeah. But the difference between me and Amazon's recommendations feature is that the customer can tell me WHY I am off, and I can re-evaluate. You just can't do that with a computer. You need an actual human brain for that.

And I don't just recommend books I like. If I did, I'd force everyone to leave with Rebecca or The Hunger Games or Daughter of Smoke and Bone. But I have a brain, I know that not everyone is into those sorts of books, and I know my stock and customers fairly well--I want people to leave with something they're excited about, not what I'm excited about (though sometimes we're both excited and those are awesome moments).

Bookstore prices are too high

Oh God, I don't think I can even touch this because this part of Manjoo's argument is so, so, so frustrating and so, so off-base.

Bookstores don't price books. Publishers price books. We sell them at the list price because that's the only way we can make money. Amazon sells them at ridiculous discounts because they're so damn big that through some sort of financial/accounting system, they can do it and still make money. I don't know a lot about the economics of businesses, but my dad has managed and owned various retail stores for the past 30 years, and one thing that he's impressed on me is the importance of quantity. The quantity of sales is, in general, more important that the size of sales. Amazon can sell books at 45% off because they are selling thousands of copies of that book. Independent bookstores don't because our customer base isn't that huge and we can't afford to.

This is not to say that bookstores can't or don't discount items. But if Manjoo is going to make the argument that books cost too much, he shouldn't be unjustly shifting the blame on the retailers. To thoroughly discuss how books are priced, we need to start with the publishers. That is a way bigger issue than Manjoo understands, and I don't have the time to go into (my limited understanding of) that.

The bookstore is "inefficient" and doesn't benefit the community

Oh yeah, because supporting local authors, organizations, and other businesses is detrimental to a community. The sales, business, and payroll taxes paid to local, state, federal governments doesn't help a single bit. Better take your business to Amazon, where they can sell you a cheap book and where absolutely none of your money ever has a chance of making it back into your region or community to benefit schools, roads, law enforcement, parks, libraries, hospitals...do I really need to go on?

Now here's the thing...I can actually sort of almost go with what Manjoo is saying when he points out that by purchasing books at much lower prices, you can buy more books. And that's a good thing for you and authors and publishers. But Manjoo is seriously naive if he thinks that Amazon will keep their 45% discounts when all of the indies are closed and everyone in the country buys from them. It's just not realistic.

Bookstores don't have much to do with the community

Bookstores host authors events, sell a lot of books by local authors, host community events, have community boards, spread community news and opportunities. Oh yeah, and they pay taxes. WHICH BENEFITS THE COMMUNITY.

The bookstore is "cultish"

Damn, the secret's out. I belong to the cult of Great Lakes Book and Supply. Someone stage an intervention.

And finally...

We should thank Amazon for crushing that local indie

Oh yes. When I lose my job and am unable to buy books from Amazon (because that will be the only place left for me to buy books), then I will be sure to send them the loveliest of thank you notes written on the last sheet of stationary I own. It will be the last nice thank you letter I send because I won't be able to buy any more of that stationary, as the only store in town that sells it will have just gone out of business.

Reading all that you have (because if you've made it this far, I really commend you), I can only imagine what you are thinking. You are squinting at the screen, confused. You think I hate Amazon.

I DO NOT hate Amazon. I actually really, really like Amazon, and if one day I woke up and they had vanished from the internet, I would be very sad.

It is true that I don't use Amazon for print book purchases very much anymore. The fact of the matter is, buying from my employer is not only job security for me, but it also tends to be cheaper because of my employee discount. But Amazon doesn't just sell books, and they are an extremely useful resource and very easy to use. (Want to know a secret? When a customer comes in and only has an author or partial title, Amazon's search box is the first place we go to. The page is always up on our computers. As a book search engine, it can't be beat.)

With Amazon, I buy a lot of TV shows, DVDs, music (easier to download to my Droid and they provide some really nice discounts and offers that iTunes doesn't), and Kindle e-books.

My parents purchased a Kindle for me for Christmas last year, and I absolutely love it. The device is wonderful to use, I've run into very, very few problems with reading my galley and ARC content on it, it's easy to travel with, and who wouldn't love the great deals on e-books that Amazon offers? Because of my Kindle, I started branching out into other genres of literature. For a lot of books, I'd prefer to have a print copy, but there are many that I am glad to put on my Kindle.

I am also an Amazon affiliate. That means that with every link that takes you to Amazon from this website and results in you purchasing something, I get a teeny-tiny percentage of the sale. It's usually no more than a few cents. When I receive those payments at the end of every month, I put that money earned into a fund out of which I purchase the Monthly Commenter Contest books--new releases, usually hardcovers. Those books are purchased from the bookstore I work at, and are sent Media Mail to the winner. Whatever the difference is, I pay out of my own pocket.

I also have a Prime membership. Because I am a student, the cost to me was $40 for a year. Whatever I buy gets free two day shipping, which is nice because I loathe paying shipping and I hated always trying to reach a $25 minimum. But what really sold me on the Prime Membership was the free streaming of so many movies and TV shows. It's true that I could have probably found Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dr. Who free somewhere online, but this is legal and it's simple. I love that more and more videos are added monthly.

So what does this all add up to? There's a place for Amazon, and there's a place for independent bookstores. I don't want to tell you where you should spend your money--that's not right, nor fair. But I don't want anyone to be swayed by Manjoo's faulty argument and circular logic.

The fact of the matter is, I know that 99.99% of my blog readers are probably not millionaires, and I know you all can't afford to spend money like water. You have to do what's right for your budget and your lifestyle. I totally and completely understand that. But just because you are on a tight budget DOESN'T mean that shopping indie isn't a possibility.

Here's what I recommend:

Buy paperbacks from your indie. Amazon hasn't applied their 45% discounts to mass market paperbacks or YA paperbacks.
Know your community deals and specials. My town has something called Band of Locals, and for a one-time $10 purchase of a blue rubber bracelet, I can get discounts at almost all locally-owned businesses.
Does your indie have customer loyalty programs? See if they do! Also, if you make friends with the clerk, they can oftentimes fill you in on special deals and coupons.
Browse often. The most wonderful thing about bookstores is there is always something unexpected to be found that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Plus, you might get an actual brain to help you pick out your next read.
Know what else your indie sells besides books. Shop there for cards, calendars, stationary, journals, bookplates, games, planners, gift wrap, and more!

There are always going to be readers and stories. How we get them may vary, especially with new technology. I will thank Amazon for the amazing and diverse services they offer, but they will NOT be shutting down my bookstore if I can help it.

Leave me a comment or shoot me an email if you have anything to add!

January Monthly Commenter Contest!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

I fell in love with the title of Jennifer E. Smith's latest book, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, back in May at BEA. Out of all of the titles I heard that crazy week, that one stood out the most. And I fell in love with the story when I started it yesterday and finished it within a matter of hours. This is a real, emotional, romantic book, and I am thrilled to be giving away a copy this month!

How to win: Every time you post a significant comment that contributes to the conversation, I give you an entry into the contest! The more you comment, the more you entries you get! Only comments on posts from January 2012 are eligible, so keep coming back for more posts and more chances to comment. For all of the details, click here.

Read on to learn more about the book!

"Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it."

Happy reading in this New Year!

Best Books of 2011

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

Another year is done! I hope that you will have a fun and safe New Year's Eve, and that next year is full of great books. But before we move on to 2012, I thought it'd be fun to go back over the past year and pick out the best books of 2011. These are, of course, only my opinions, but they were surprisingly easy to pick out because these ten books were jsut so outstanding. If you haven't read any of them, then I highly encourage you to do so!

Here are the ten best books of 2011, in no particular order:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

This one is a no-brainer. Taylor's writing is beautiful and magical, and the plot of this gorgeous book is so full of twists and turns and unexpected developments. I can honestly say that I didn't anticipate a single thing in this book--Taylor surprised me every step of the way. This book is an excellent blend of fantasy, reality, and forbidden love.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

I've come to love everything that Stiefvater writes, but I was especially charmed by the little island of Thisby and main characters Sean and Puck. This is such an imaginative and mystical book, similar to the world we know, yet apart from it at the same time. I was completely transported.

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Sara Zarr's latest book really hit home for me. The story of two very different teen girls, connected by one unborn baby, is just so real and complicated and human. I loved how they struggled to let go of grief, searced for a place where they belong, and strve to do the right thing. How to Save a Life is a book that is as affecting and powerful as its deceptively simple title.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

I am a huge fantasy fan, and Rae Carson's debut novel is one of the best fantasy books I've come across since I fell in love with Tamora Pierce and discovered Kristin Cashore. The heroine goes through a spectacular transformation from a shy, overweight, and dubious girl to a young woman who is strong and finds her courage. It's an excellent start to a trilogy, and I can't wait for the next book in 2012!

Stay by Deb Caletti

I'm a rather new fan of Deb Caletti's, and earlier this year I was completely taken with her latest book, Stay. The heroine, Clara, is very lost at the beginning of the book but she is resilient and strong. I loved Caletti's message in this book; sometimes we mess up, sometimes we lose our way. That doesn't mean that something is wrong with you, or that you can't move beyond your issues. As always, Caletti is inspiring without being preachy.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Asher and Mackler get a gold star for this awesome, awesome premise. But what makes this book really great is the relationship between main characters Emma and Josh, and the lessons they learn about the danger of trying to change a future that is uncertain and not taking advantage of today. This is a funny and optimistic book about learning to deal with things you can control and letting go of the things you have no power over.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Out of all of the books that have been published since dystopia became popular in YA, Divergent is the only one that measures up to The Hunger Games. Roth's fascinating and dangerous post-apocalyptic Chicago is an amazing setting, and the characters' journies are absorbing. I wasn't able to put this one down!

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Bray's books are kind of hit and miss with me, but oh my word, I LOVED Beauty Queens. It's such a hilarious allegory of the modern teenage culture. It's all about girl power without being preachy or cheesy, and there are pirates, explosives, and sparkly items. I dare you to try to put it down.

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

The title hooked me immediately with this book, and the premise--a girl living in 2083 NYC where coffee and chocolate are prohibited--sealed the deal. Main character Anya Balanchine wants nothing to do with the mob delaigns of her extended family, but she'll find that it's not so easy to avoid, especially when her past is already so intertwined with illegal dealings and violence. Zevin has written a fascinating and unique book here, and I can't wait for the sequel!

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King

King is known for writing books that are different and a little wacky. I loved her last two books, The Dust of 100 Dogs and Please Ignore Vera Dietz, but I wasn't really sure abotu Everybody Sees the Ants. I am so, so glad I read it. It's such a real and personal book about a teen guy who has been bullied for half his life, and how he finds his courage in the most unlikely of places. Every teen should read this (and King's other books).

What are your favorite books of 2011?

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

2011-12-30T13:54:00.000-05:00

Campbell has cancer, and she's tried every treatment. Now her doctor has told her there's nothing more to do but wait for the end. So Cam's mother does the only thing she can—she packs Cam and her younger sister up and heads for Promise, Maine. Miracles happen there--every day ones, and even bigger ones, yet Cam doesn't really believe in them. But she's not done living yet, and she sets out to get the most out of the last summer of her life.

The Probability of Miracles is a very quirky novel that is surprisingly humorous and poignant. Cam is such an interesting and complex character—you may not agree with her beliefs or her rather frank view of her own impending death, but she does have a vibrant personality and her antics in crossing off the things on her Flamingo List (what she calls her bucket list) are memorable and humorous. The eccentricities of Promise are everything you could hope for in a miraculous town—magical and curious with intriguing characters rooted in reality. Everything comes together nicely in Maine—Cam's endeavors to live fully, how she deals with heartbreak, her romance with Asher, a boy from Promise with his own issues, and even the happiness of Cam's mother and sister. On the surface, this book is deceptively simple—it seems to be about learning to believe in miracles. But in between uproariously funny lines and highly emotional ones that will catch you off guard (like Cam's sudden epiphany that "she'd be spending the rest of her short life making other people feel better about the prospect of losing her"), you will find that this is more than a silly pink book about miracles, but one about the probability of faith, love, heartache, forgiveness, acceptance, and learning to let go. Wunder proves that miracles aren't found in life, but in living.

Cover Comments: I actually really like the vivid pink of this cover and and the feather cut out--it's pretty cool. The font is also very awesome, and I think it fits the story well.

ARC provided by publisher.

Click here to check out my interview with Wendy Wunder and read an excerpt!

Cover Talk: Melissa Walker's New Book!

2011-12-29T14:17:00.000-05:00

I've really enjoyed Melissa Walker's work, especially her latest, Small Town Sinners! I think each book of hers just gets better and better. I've been hearing snatches about her new book here and there, so I was really excited to see that it now has a beautiful cover!

I absolutely adore it! I love the ocean and the sky, and how the girl is sitting on the edge of the boat. I love the pink and the heart and fonts. I am in love with the title. Even if I had no idea what this book was about, I would buy it and read it!

What do you think?

Reading Rants: Adult Books I've Enjoyed Recently

2011-12-27T11:31:00.000-05:00

You know I'm all about the YA, but expanding your TBR list to include a little diversity is good, too, and I've read a lot of very, very interesting non-YA books lately that I think you all will enjoy too!

The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned these books on the blog before--they are downright hilarious! It's a very fun steampunk series about Alexia Tarabotti, a spinster and half-Italian (two very unfavorable things for a young lady of London to be) who also happens to be soulless. This tends to be tricky when it comes to being around werewolves and vampires and the like. There are five books in the series (and I wish there were MORE) and they are: Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless (to be released in 2012). I just finished Heartless, and it was so, so good.

This is an excellent crossover series, so I definitely encourage you YA readers to pick it up, even if it is technically an adult series. Plus, there's at least one perk--as a mass market paperback, the books are only $7.99 each!

Flavia de Luce mysteries by Allan Bradley

This is another series with delightful characters (and equally delightful titles) that I think many, many people will enjoy. It's published under an adult imprint, but the series is narrated by a brilliant and humorous 11-year-old girl named Flavia de Luce. She is the youngest daughter of a British family living in a crumbling family manor in 1950, and she is an avid chemist. When a dead body turns up on her family's property, it's the most interesting thing that has ever happened to her, and she sets out to help solve the mystery.

My high school English teacher (also the same lovely lady I now work with at the bookstore) introduced me to the books about 2 and a half years ago, and both my mother and I fell in love with them. The first book is called The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. The second is The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, then A Red Herring Without Mustard, and just released, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows. I read on an ARC that there will be 6 books in the series, so yay! I just got caught up with the second and third books, and I got my mother the fourth for Christmas. Now she needs to hurry up and finish it so I can read it as well!

Sookie Stackhouse books 1-3 by Charlaine Harris

So...about this series. So not what I normally read. But for the first few weeks that I worked at the bookstore, it felt like every time I turned around, someone was either asking me my opinion of the books, or telling me that they were really good. Since I knew basically nothing about the books except for what I've seen of the sexy (and bloody) stills from the show True Blood, I decided to see what it's all about. It doesn't seem very fair to judge a series by their on screen adaptation.

All reviews I have read have said that the books are all about blood and sex. I didn't really see that in the first book, Dead Until Dark. In fact, I thought DUD was funny, sweet, a little scary, and a really good start to a series. So after I finished I took myself over to the library and got books 2 and 3. As I delved into Living Dead in Dallas...whoa. I could see where the reviewers were coming from on their previous statements. I don't object to sex in books, but I just wasn't getting into the book at all. I felt like the plot was being driven entirely my lust, sex, and orgies. But, I finished and resolved to give Sookie one more try in Club Dead. Unfortunately, I hit my requisite 50 pages and couldn't do it anymore. I ended up returning it to the library unread and pretty disappointed, because I really liked Sookie's character. I just wasn't grabbed.

If only all of the books could have been like Dead Until Dark...

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This one was a Shelf Discovery post a few weeks ago, and I'd been hearing such good things about it, I couldn't wait to read it! I started reading it one day at the bookstore, but then our copies all sold (which is so good but so frustrating) and I ran to the library for it. Miracle upon miracles, it was available! I got right back into it.

Here's the thing about The Night Circus: It's beautifully written, but not very linear. Non-linear books are NOT bad books, but I didn't expect it to be so all over the place. I thought that the constant jumping around would settle down after about 50 pages, when the scene was set, but it didn't. It continued throughout the entire book. Marco and Celia may be made out to be the main characters in the summary, but they aren't, not really. There are many other characters who get just about the same amount of page time as they do--the two magicians just happen to be at the center of all of the drama.

At first, I was really disappointed about all of this. I wanted an unfolding story, not brief glimpses into the lives and major events of all of these people spanning 30 years. However, the closer I got to the end, the more I liked it. It was a beautiful, magical, unreal book that really transports you, and I think that the narrative only aided in creating that atmosphere. I definitely recommend it!

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

This was another Shelf Discovery post--read here to see what it's about and how I discovered it!

So, a dystopia retelling of The Scarlet Letter is something I am ALL over. I found that the Kindle price on this book was $3.28, and I couldn't resist. I devoured it in a day (right before exams...not smart) and I absolutely loved it.

Jordan does such an excellent job at creating this society that is so eerily similar to our own, yet contains processes and laws and customs that are really terrifying. It does follow the original story in its major events pretty well--you can most definitely see The Scarlet Letter in When She Woke. However, this one has what Nathaniel Hawthorne's story lacks--action! There is a lot of danger, suspense, fear, and complicated emotions here. Hannah Payne goes through s much, and she comes out on the other side much more different. The upside to this one is that the ending isn't so final and clear, leaving room for the potential of hope and happiness. I was completely enthralled, and I highly recommend this book!

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

I admit, I had never heard of Bill Bryson before I started working at the bookstore. His books are everywhere there--in travel memoirs, writing reference, nonfiction. I probably wouldn't have even picked up one of his books though if his A Walk in the Woods hadn't appeared on my reading list for my Lit 401 class next semester.

A Walk in the Woods is about Bryson's decision to walk the Appalachian Trail upon his return to the US after living abroad in England for many years. He has hiked before, but never backpacked. He is not in the best of shape. But he plows on, and begins in Georgia in the spring with the intention of reaching Maine in August. Accompanying him is his childhood friend Katz, who is in even worse shape than Bryson, and offers all of the comedic relief in this memoir. It is a very funny, very informative book about the history of the Appalachian Trail, its challenges, and how to avoid a bear. It's a great one to read if you aren't too sure about reading nonfiction and want to give it a try, and it's very, very funny.

What non-YA books have you been enjoying lately?

Legend by Marie Lu

2011-12-26T15:58:00.000-05:00

On the surface, Day and June appear to be complete opposites. Day is wanted by the Republic for his criminal acts and June is a military prodigy. When June's brother is murdered and Day is the only suspect, June is promoted and tasked to hunt him down when no one else has been able to do so. She doesn't stop to think about why she has been assigned to the task or how the evidence doesn't match up until she's gotten close enough to hand Day in. Only then does June realize that someone else has been playing them both.

Marie Lu's debut novel will definitely appeal to readers of all sorts who are fans of the dystopia trend in books now. Legend is a well written, action-driven book that never slows down. The dual perspectives help to keep things exciting and the different personalities of Day and June will help reach a lot of readers. The characters do seem a little young and not quite as brilliant as they're made out to be by other characters, but there's no denying the cleverness of the plot, missions, or escapes. Lu does a great job at drawing out suspense with a constant race against time; Day must find a cure for the disease his brother is plagued with before it's too late, and June must decide which side she stands on before any freedom of choice is taken away from her. The bigger picture of the government's conflict with the eastern Colonies is a little vague, but it will hopefully be an issue that is expounded upon more in the second book. Legend is an absorbing and smart read and a good choice for those who want something to read after The Hunger Games, but it doesn't surpass it.

Cover Comments: I like the silver and gold of the cover, though the isignia doesn't really have any significance within the book--it just looks cool. This cover seems to be trying to imitate other big dystopian sellers like The Hunger Games and Divergent, so I'm not really impressed.

I would definitely recommend buying this one in print over e-book--the insides are gorgeous and have a lot of cool details with gold and silver ink.

ARC provided by publisher.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T19:22:00.003-05:00

Here's to a very Merry Christmas to you all! I hope that you all have a wonderful day with your families!

If you want to read about what some authors like Maggie Stiefvater like to give and get for the holidays when it comes to books, click here!

The Big Deal

2011-12-21T22:55:00.000-05:00

Amazon is offering a HUGE sale on tons of e-books from now until December 23rd! There are some really awesome YA books under $3.99. If you have an e-reader and are looking for something to occupy your time until Christmas or are looking for an inexpensive gift, these books are great! Or, if you know you are going to be getting an e-reader, you can purchase them now and download them Christmas morning! Yay, deals!

(ETA: Though the deal ends the 23rd, some of these books are remaining on sale longer!)
Here are a few of the good ones in no particular order:

Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) by Sarah Mlynowski - Only $0.99!

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler - Only $1.99!

StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce - Only $2.99!

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin - Only $2.99!

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel - Only $1.99!

Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker - Only $2.99!

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith - Only $3.99!

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale - Only $2.24!

Austenland by Shannon Hale - Only $2.50!

Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin - Only $2.50!

Bumped by Megan McCafferty - Only $0.99!

Entwined by Heather Dixon - Only $0.99!

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand - Only $0.99!

Hereafter by Tara Hudson - Only $0.99!

Vesper by Jeff Sampson - Only $0.99!

Happy reading!

Interview with Wendy Wunder!

2011-12-20T22:32:00.002-05:00

Wendy Wunder is the author of the recently released book The Possibility of Miracles. It's funny and sad and quirky, and I loved it (review coming soon!). Wendy was kind enough to answer a couple of my questions recently--check them out!

TCR: I like how Cam grew up at Disney World--have you spent a lot of time at Disney?

WW: I have visited at different stages of my life, so I feel like I’ve grown up with Disney. Unlike Cam in the beginning, I actually Love it. I have definitely felt the magic of the Magic Kingdom whenever I have visited. I have never worked there though and a lot of the scenes were born strictly out of my imagination. I thought putting Cam in a place like Disney when she was sick and miserable would set up an interesting juxtaposition. (My favorite ride: Space Mountain. Favorite attraction: That Jungle ride with the antiquated animatronic animals and the sarcastic boat drivers. Do they still have the hall of Presidents?)

TCR: Have you ever written your own Flamingo List?

WW: You know. I don’t think I have. I’m not really good at planning ahead. And for a while I wasn’t good at knowing what I wanted. But I had a lot of fun in my twenties so I feel like I checked off a lot of things. I’ve lived in New York, San Francisco and Boston. I’ve traveled through Europe a couple of times. I’ve driven across the country. I learned another language. I’ve fallen in love. Started a family and now I’ve written a book, which was probably secretly number one on the list the whole time. So now anything else that comes along is just gravy! I’m pretty lucky and very grateful. And yet, still, a little poor. So maybe I should put saving money on that Flamingo List!

TCR: What was the hardest part about writing The Probability of Miracles? The easiest?

WW: Hardest part: description. Easiest part: dialogue. I get swept up in the pace of the dialogue and I have trouble slowing down and describing where people are while they’re talking. It’s okay though. I just hand in a draft that looks like a script and then fill in details later.

TCR: What was your reaction when you first saw the cover?

WW: I Love the cover. I’m not normally a Pink kind of gal. In fact when my daughter was born I dressed her in a lot of purple to avoid being inundated in pinkness. The manager at our local grocery store still calls her “Violetta” because she was always dressed in purple. But I think the pink works. And the feather is cool. And the model on the cover is beautiful. AND the font is Perfect. I love it.

TCR: What are you working on now?

WW: A couple of things, but one is a teenage Thelma and Louise road story about the power of friendship and the mysteries of the universe…Stay tuned!

Thanks so much, Wendy!

Stay tuned for my review of this awesome book!

Not convinced that you need to pick this one up? Then read a free excerpt and watch the book trailer below!

The Probability of Miracles - Chapters 1 - 5

Q&A 3: The Reviews

2011-12-19T15:04:00.000-05:00

This one is all about reviews and the functions of this blog:

Q: How many reviews have you written?

A: About 590.

Q: Do you review every single book you read?

A: No, but I do review the majority. I try to cover every YA book I read on the blog, and those MG or adult books that I think would be of interest to my readers. A lot of non-YA books I don't review, but I do mention them in the Classics Corner feature, or in my Adult Books I've Enjoyed posts.

Q: Why are your reviews so formal?

A: It's just the way I write them. I don't consider them formal--I just try to write a review that I would want to read myself. If that calls for neatly formed sentences, a slightly elevated tone, literary terms, and some critical assessments, then so be it. I know it's not for everyone, but that's okay. Book blogs are kinda like books--you're not going to like every one.

Q: I want to review books too, but I don't know what to talk about. How do you know what to say in your reviews?

I'd say it's 80% knowing what you think it's important to know about a book as a reader, and 20% practice and experience. When I started "reviewing," I basically just said what I liked about a book, and it all tumbled out in something that was semi-cohesive. After time, my structure and syntax got a lot better, but one thing that didn't change was the fact that I focused on what it was that stood out to me. This may be hard to do, so here's what I recommend:

Take notes. I now it sounds academic and un-fun, but it does help. I do review notes on every book I review. I grab a couple of note cards and whenever I feel like it, I write down comments and thoughts about the book I'm reading, especially if something sticks out to me. This also helps if I don't get a chance to write my review right away.
Ask yourself what you'd want to know about a particular book before starting it.
Ask yourself why you liked (or disliked) a book, and then think about those elements that made the book work (or hindered it).
Don't be afraid to explore a topic brought up in the book (like suicide, drug use, academic stress, etc.).
Remember that writing reviews isn't always easy. You can write 590 of them and still struggle as if it were the first time.

Q: I noticed that you summarize the book in your own words instead of posting the summary from Amazon. Should I do this in my reviews?

A: I'd say it doesn't really matter what you do, but if you're going to re-post an official summary, it's probably a good idea to note where you got it from.

Q: I noticed that you haven't been writing as many reviews lately. Why?

A: Busy, busy, busy. Sorry. I'm a senior in college.

Q: Should I post "bad" reviews?

A: Poorly written reviews should not be left alone on the internet.

But, you mean negative reviews of books, right?

In that case, I'd say it depends on your approach. When it comes to my reviews, I like to maintain a snark-free zone (Twilight and everything else is fair game). The reason for this is that if I don't like a book, I stop reading it. Life is too short to waste on books you have to force yourself to read. (Unless, of course, your grade depends on it. Then you better suck it up.) Hence, anything that I finish and review, I've done so because there was SOMETHING worthwhile to get me through the book, and I'd prefer to focus on that something than about how terrible the dialogue was. I'm not going to ignore it--I want to be honest with you all--but I'm not going to obsess over it. So, if your reviews are going to be negative, but politely so, go ahead and post them. I think they benefit the internet and readers for a few reasons:

Publicists might want to know if they're off when it comes to a trend, and they won't be able to figure that out as easily if everyone's awkwardly complimenting the book.
I've heard that some authors have learned something from constructive criticism. (Hey, it's a rumor--don't shoot the messenger!)
Disagreement can spark some good conversations.
It's okay if you're not cookie-cutter. Admitting that you don't like something isn't wrong. Sometimes it makes you connect with readers even better.

It's okay to not like a book. The only thing NOT okay is being rude about disliking it.

Do you have a question about reviews or just this blog in general? Shoot me an email at thecompulsivereader@gmail.com, or leave a question in the comments.

Shelf Discovery: Circle Nine by Anne Heltzel

2011-12-18T21:53:00.000-05:00

"When your whole life has vanished and only one person knows who you are . . . don't you have to believe him?

Abby doesn't remember what happened the night she woke up in soot-stained clothes, lying next to a burning building with an unfamiliar boy at her side. But her connection with Sam is immediate and intense. And she has no one else: no family, no home, not even a last name.

She and Sam start a new life, just the two of them, and Abby's deliriously happy. Until memories from her past begin to haunt her and suddenly everything she's learned to love turns sinister. It's only a matter of time before her reality cracks apart."

Has anyone read this one? What did you think about it?

What have you discovered recently?

Emma Carlson Berne and Still Waters!

2011-12-16T01:30:00.000-05:00

Emma Carlson Berne is the author of Still Waters, which I reviewed earlier this month here. It's a great romantic thriller that you can easily get lost in, and it's out on Tuesday! So while it might be a little late to add it to your Christmas list, it will definitely be out and ready for gift card spending!

To celebrate the release, Emma was kind enough to answer a few of my questions about writing and her next book!

TCR: What inspired the lake house setting in Still Waters?

ECB: Well, I’ve always been very drawn to nature. We spent a lot of time camping in Kentucky and in the Rockies when I was growing up. One of the main family activities as a child was walking in the woods. Looking at grasses, different kinds of berries, picking up interesting stones—these things always come naturally to me. So it’s easy for me to envision all sorts of stories set in striking natural environments.

When I was about eighteen, I drove north with my friend to visit her family’s lakeside home in Michigan. This place was all piney woods, creaky screen doors and musty couch cushions. I loved it—making jam with her grandmother, going for walks to the old cemetery (sound familiar?), sunbathing in the rowboat on the lake—yes, there was a rowboat too. I didn’t really expect the trip to make any lasting impressions, but when I poked around in my brain for compelling settings for the story, up floated the old lake house.

TCR: What is it that draws you to writing thrillers?

ECB: I’m basically just a macabre person at heart. Seriously, in seventh grade, when we all had to do a social studies report on an important world event, I chose the Black Death. I’m a lifelong Stephen King fan and one of my favorite artists is the cartoonist Edward Gorey, who does intricate, creepy little drawings set in the Edwardian age. One of my favorite movies of all time is the Blair Witch Project (I still haven’t gotten up the nerve to watch Paranormal Activity, though. I think I might have to see it at like ten am on a weekday morning or something.) It’s all pretty funny because I’m actually the cheerful suburban mom of a toddler. Writing lets me indulge my darker side.

TCR: What was the hardest part about writing Still Waters? The easiest?

ECB: Oy, the hardest. Probably the agonizing hours and hours and HOURS of drafting. Just pulling the story out by brute force, even when the last thing in the world I wanted to do was plant my rear down at that desk and write. I had days when I hated every word I wrote. These aren’t uncommon for me and they don’t always mean I actually wrote bad stuff that day. Drafting is absolutely my least favorite part of writing, even though it feels sort of bad to say that. Lots of writers just love it, but I’ll take revisions over drafting any day.

The easiest part was surprisingly, conceiving of the idea and selling it to my editor. Usually this is also agonizing and requires a huge amount of work, back and forth, rejecting of ideas, revising of ideas (in my case, at least). But for this one, the gods were smiling on me—I thought, “hey, what about a book about this?” My agent said, “Good idea!” He showed it to a few editors, one of whom said, “I like it!” And just like that, the book was sold. It was a nice experience and since I’m a fatalist, I’m convinced it’ll never happen again.

TCR: Can you tell us anything about your next book?

ECB: Yes! CLOSER (which may soon have a new title), will be out in Fall 2012. It’s a pretty dark story about a twisted love triangle, and is set on a small farm in rural Ohio. This one’s a tad more violent than STILL WATERS, and—I think—a whole lot of fun.

TCR: What books have you enjoyed reading recently?

ECB: Well, since I’m a huge nerd, I just loved A Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer—all about everything people ate, wore, listened to, etc. back in the fourteenth century. I passed it on to my mom, since we usually like the same books. And I also recently read Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson, which was a fantastically creepy thriller about memory—a subject I’m pretty interested in. And actually right now, I’m in the middle of my one hundred millionth re-reading of Little Women. How can I stay away? I have to read it at least twice a year.

Thanks so much, Emma!

Be sure to pick up Still Waters when it comes out next week!

Cover Talk: Rosebush by Michele Jaffe

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Last year around this time, I was super excited about Rosebush by Michele Jaffe. It's a great thriller that really grabbed me (you can read my review here) and I loved the awesome cover. So, I was a bit disappointed that it changed when the paperback came out in October.

First off, here is the original cover:

And here is what I had to say about it in my Cover Comments after my review:

And I still agree with my original assessment--the roses tie in nicely with the cover, and it is eye-catching and intriguing without being cheesy.

Here is the new paperback cover:

Just...meh. I don't care for the model's face in the background at all. The title treatment and the roses are fine, but the picture in the background just makes this cover look like a cheesy romance, which is definitely is NOT.

Which cover do you prefer?

Truth by Julia Karr

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Nina Oberon's life was turned upside down when her mother was murdered and the secrets about her family's involvement with the Resistance were revealed. The anonymous challenging of her little sister's custody case sets off a string of events that put Nina in a very precarious position with the Governing Council and underground resistance, where the stakes are higher than ever. No matter what happens, Nina will have to fight to stand by the truth.

Julia Karr's sequel to her debut novel, XVI, is full of conflict, suspense, and strong themes of fighting for the truth. The custody issue and its subsequent consequences were drawn out well, leading Nina and Dee to seeking shelter with the Jenkins family. Nina is shocked at how quickly things can change, but she still stays determined to help the resistance in any way possible, even if it's just by saving Joan, a broken character first introduced in XVI. However, her relationship with her boyfriend Sal does suffer—are they really in love, or even on the same page? The issue of what's happening to their relationship when he's gone throughout most of the book (and eyed by another girl in the resistance), coupled with Nina's growing attraction to Wei's brother, make for some interesting angst. The book picks up towards the end as Wei, Nina, and friends engineer a risky escape plan for Joan that goes wrong, taking Nina to places she didn't expect to go. While some of the dialogue feels a little awkward, the story is quite solid. There are a lot of questions that go unanswered in Truth that will leave readers wondering, and the open ending indicates a third book that will hopefully clear things up and find Nina is a better place than where she's left off.

Cover Comments: I like how this cover is a little bit lighter than its prequel--you can see the title and the image a lot better. Very nice.

This one will be available on January 19th, 2012!

ARC provided by publisher.

Q&A 2

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

A: Yes, I post my reviews on Amazon (Barnes and Noble's interface frustrates me). I do my best and try to put an accurate star rating on it (since Amazon requires it). Most of my reviews end up being 4 star because it seems like a happy medium ground between love and tepid admiration.

Q: I've been blogging for a really long time and I don't know what to do to get publishers to notice me or my blog. I don't have money to go to conferences but I really love doing this and my blog just isn't getting any attention. What should I do?

A: First off, what is "a really long time"? Is it two months? Six months? A year? Because I hate to say it, but these days new bloggers have a WAY harder time building their readership. There are just so many people doing it already.

I don't want to come off as a dark cloud, though. The fact that there are so many people passionate about YA and reading is AWESOME! It means more books and more people to talk about them with. But, being a blogger isn't something you do because you want free books, and it isn't an hour a week commitment. I'd say that if you are passionate about YA (because that's what it takes, passion), and you are blogging regularly and you aren't snarky and mean and an all-around downer, then you'll get there. Sometimes you just need time to develop your voice and your niche. As a blogger, you don't have to do every meme or review the popular books in order to gain readers--you need to have something to say that grabs readers' attention (and not something bitchy and snarky about every book you read--we've seen those blogs rise quickly and fall even faster).

So, here's what I recommend you do:

Get a Twitter account and follow publishers, authors, publicists, and other blogger. Stay up to date on news and ideas.
Develop a feature or meme that you came up with all on your own (but be careful not to plagiarize). This is hard, I know, but it will be something that's yours that is interesting and different and get people to keep coming back.
Experiment with your "voice." Try writing a review in a different style, write about a trend you've noticed, comment on something that's in the news that may not be directly related to YA books. Generate discussion!
Keep at it.

I've been doing this for 5 years, and one thing I've noticed is that the bloggers who have large reader bases is that they are the ones who are passionate, creative, and unique. They realize it's not about the contacts and the books, but about the connections between stories and readers--keep focused on that and you'll be all right.

Q: How do you say your name?

A: It's Tirzah, pronounced teer-zuh.

Q: What's your favorite non-YA book?

A: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. Don't be fooled by the romance novel-esque cover. The Hitchcock movie with Laurence Olivier is also magnificent.

Q: Do you have an e-reader?

A: I have a Kindle 3G + Wifi with Keyboard, and I absolutely love it. The Pearl Ink technology is absolutely amazing. I recommend going to a Staples and checking it out.

Have a question for me? Leave it in the comments or email me at thecompulsivereader@gmail.com!

Shelf Discovery: South of Superior by Ellen Airgood

2011-12-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

One book that caught my eye a few weeks ago is South of Superior by Ellen Airgood. It's a relatively new release, and it's written by a Michigan author and set in Michigan, so we've had it on the front display in the bookstore where I've been able to ogle it on a daily basis. I've been meaning to start it, especially since I read Airgood's Modern Love column in the New York Times. Also, I just really enjoy books with small town Michigan settings.

Here's what it's about:

"When Madeline Stone walks away from Chicago and moves five hundred miles north to the coast of Lake Superior, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, she isn't prepared for how much her life will change.

Charged with caring for an aging family friend, Madeline finds herself in the middle of beautiful nowhere with Gladys and Arbutus, two octogenarian sisters-one sharp and stubborn, the other sweeter than sunshine. As Madeline begins to experience the ways of the small, tight-knit town, she is drawn into the lives and dramas of its residents. It's a place where times are tough and debts run deep, but friendship, community, and compassion run deeper. As the story hurtles along-featuring a lost child, a dashed love, a car accident, a wedding, a fire, and a romantic reunion-Gladys, Arbutus, and the rest of the town teach Madeline more about life, love, and goodwill than she's learned in a lifetime.

A heartwarming novel, South of Superior explores the deep reward in caring for others, and shows how one who is poor in pocket can be rich in so many other ways, and how little it often takes to make someone happy."

I just think it sounds so charming! And I adore the cover--it's very sweet and colorful and welcoming.

What have you discovered lately?

Why We Broke Up Project

2011-12-10T15:50:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of Why We Broke Up? It's the latest book from Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman, and it is the story of why Min Green and Ed Slaterton broke up. It's told with some pretty cool pictures (by Kalman), and is a pretty funny/bittersweet book thus far.

To celebrate the release on December 27th, Little, Brown is sponsoring the Why We Broke Up project. Share your break-up story, heal your heart.

I submitted one, and it was kinda fun when Daniel Handler responded to it on the tumblr. I love his humor, and these stories are funny, if not a little sad sometimes. Misery enjoys company after all...

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick

2011-12-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

When Chris Van Allsburg came out with The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, he intrigued all who read it and inspired countless readers to imagine and create magical stories. While we'll probably never know much more about the "original" Burdick stories, this lovely book is a fun glimpse into the minds of many famous authors as they imagine what the pictures might mean, and how the captions play into the story.

This book is lovely--they quality of the paper, binding, and illustrations is superb, and it contains all of the original artwork, captions, and even the original introduction from Chris Van Allsburg. It's like an enhanced version of the original with a new and charming introduction from Lemony Snicket, fun and fascinating stories, and author biographies. I especially loved "The Seven Chairs" and Stephen King's finale piece--both are memorable and fun, but totally different from what I had imagined in my head.

And perhaps that's the best part about this book--you get more than a collection of good stories when you read it. You get a little glimpse into the minds of these fourteen amazing authors. Every person who has ever read The Mysteries of Harris Burdick instantly forms an idea, vague or concrete, about the circumstances surrounding the pictures. Reading these stories is a mere extension of them, another glimpse at their many lives. I would gladly welcome a second volume!

Reading Rants: Bad Parents

2011-12-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

I read an essay in the New York Times the other day about parents in YA fiction that I wanted to share with you all. I found it interesting because it takes the angle that certain types of parents have become the "bad guys" in a lot of popular YA books.

What makes a bad parent in YA? I can think of two books off the top of my head with parents that just make me cringe--Say the Word by Jeanine Garsee and North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley. In both, the main character has a father who is downright terrible. Garsee's father is vindictive and cold, and is bent on getting revenge on his ex-wife after death, dragging the narrator through it all. The father in Headley's book is suffering from a career failure and micromanages his family's lives--to the extent that his wife overeats rather than stand up to him.

Then of course there is the classic example of the absent parent in YA, forcing the main character to grow up quickly, raise themselves (and any other siblings hanging around), and make their own way. These absent parents seem to be more ubiquitous in fiction coming out now (perhaps because it's more convenient for the story?), and I see less and less YA characters with good relationships with their parents.

I know that a good relationship isn't always realistic--parents can be frustrating and overbearing, and it is true that not everyone is a good parents, which can cause some friction. But, I've always had a great relationship with my parents, and sometimes I'd like to see books that reflect that a little more often--books like The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott.

So, what do you think of parental protrayal in YA fiction? Are bad parents believable? What makes good parents believeable?

Still Waters by Emma Carlson Berne

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hannah and Colin have been together a long time and have never had any problems. But now that Colin is heading off to college, Hannah knows their relationship is going to be tested. He can't stop telling her how much he loves her, and Hannah is having a hard time saying it back. She's convinced that all they need is some time to enjoy being with each other before school starts. She's elated when she discovers Colin's family's old lake house, and proposes a weekend getaway. But Colin isn't so receptive, and once they arrive he can't stop acting weird. At first, Hannah shakes it off. But as the weekend goes by and Colin's behavior becomes more and more erratic, Hannah begins to fear for her own safety.

Still Waters is a very creepy, very quick read that grabs you from the very beginning. Berne doesn't reveal a lot about any other characters besides Hannah and Colin, but their relationship is intense and their time at the lake house full of tension. It's evident that something is off about the lake house the moment Hannah discovers it: Colin won't talk about it, his dysfunctional parents are checked out, and no one is very forthcoming about it. Hannah is undeterred and goes to great lengths to distract her mother to get away before heading out with Colin, who gets more and more anxious the closer they get. Berne does a wonderful job at building up the suspense and intrigue when the couple arrives at the house, only to find it falling into disrepair, but its everyday contents strewn about and abandoned. Hannah does seem to put up with the creepiness and Colin's bad behavior for longer than she ought to—love is blind in this case. The novel builds up to a taut cat-and-mouse chase with a shocking revelation that, rather than tests Hannah and Colin's relationship, reaffirms it. Berne leaves the reader with some loose ends that will be haunting, and ensures that Still Waters isn't easily forgettable.

Cover Comments: I love this cover--the blues are gorgeous. I like how it makes you wonder: Is the girl just floating, or is she dead? it's the perfect balance of pretty and creepy.

This one will be released on December 20th, 2011!

ARC provided by publisher.

The Wolf Springs Chronicles & Nancy Hold and Debbie Viguie

2011-12-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

Writers Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie have a brand new paranormal series that just came out last week called the Wolf Springs Chronicles. The first book is called Unleashed! Check it out:

"Katelyn McBride’s life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains. Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It’s a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths. And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night—welcome to Wolf Springs."

To celebrate the release, Nancy and Debbie answered a couple of questions about working together on this book!

TCR: What was the easiest and hardest part about writing this book?

Debbie - The easiest part was writing the first draft, which we both took a great deal of joy in. The hardest part came when we realized that the book was about 25,000 words longer than it was supposed to be and we had to start deciding what to cut completely and what to push into a later book. Some of those decisions were heartbreaking and there are some great scenes that we just had to get rid of entirely.

Nancy – Oh, must you bring that up, Deb? LOL. Easiest: I got to write part of it in a beautiful colonial inn in Maine while it was snowing. I had a fireplace in my suite. I wrote large chunks of the second draft on the couch.

Hardest: We know so much about werewolves that we wanted to weave these grand histories into the first book. But we just didn’t have room. So yes, we had to kill our darlings, as Faulkner used to say.

TCR: What was the easiest and hardest part about working on it together?

Debbie - Working with Nancy is always easy and a pleasure! We compliment each other’s skills and talents extremely well. The hardest part was deciding how much of the overall plot to reveal in this book and how much to save for the next one.

Nancy – It’s always easy to work with Debbie. We don’t argue about anything except tipping in restaurants and the occasional disagreement on dog training (Deb’s mom used to raise dogs.) We’ve been writing together for a long time and we know each other very well. So working on Unleashed was really fun as we figured out how to go about revealing the story of Katelyn McBride.

The hardest part came at the end, when we were polishing the last draft, after our cuts. I flew to Florida, where Debbie lives, to work on it with her, and we were tempted to rush it so we could go to Disney World together. We’re both Disney geeks and there it was, so close! But we stuck to our guns and worked, me on my laptop in Deb’s kitchen or the guest room, and Deb either in her alcove workspace or upstairs. We didn’t have a lot of time left after we sent the draft in, but we definitely made the most of it and partied hard at Disney as only Viguié and Holder can do!

Thank you so much, ladies!

If you need any more convincing, check out the trailer!

Q&A

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

When it comes down to the end of the semester, I tend to accomplish amazing feats in procrastination. My task of choice is cleaning, which is good, because otherwise I'd probably never see any flat surfaces.

So, here's a bit of electronic housekeeping for you: commonly asked questions.

Q: Why don't you do star ratings on your reviews?

A: Because I'm indecisive, and star ratings are hard. I feel as if they serve two purposes: to shock you (WHOA, she gave that book only one star?!) and to allow readers to make quick, snap judgement without reading reviews. I spend a lot of time on my reviews, and I'd like for you to read them (but if you just want to look at cover pictures, that's totally cool, too), instead of just seeing my star rating and then going, "Oh, okay, three stars. I won't bother."

Ratings are also so subjective. What may be a deal breaker for me in a book might not necessarily bother you. It's hard to quantify the amount of "like" I have for a book (well, sometimes it isn't). I want you to know why I like a book, not how much I like it.

Q: I just started a blog and I reviewed [insert book title here], too! I was wondering, could you give me the publicist's email so I can send her my review, too?

A: No.

Q: Wow, you're mean.

A: I'm really not. But I just don't think it's appropriate for me to be passing out personal information that's not mine to give.

Q: Will you be doing more Classics Corner posts?

A:

Yes.

Q: How long have you been doing this?

A: I started reviewing books for HarperTeen's FirstLook program (which I don't think exists anymore), BookDivas, and TeensReadToo in 2005. I started the blog in 2007.

Q: Can I have your books?

A: All of them? Because I have about 2,000. Are you prepared for that many? Are you going to come pick them up, or should I ship them out and bill you for the cost?

Oh, you mean just one? No, sorry. I do give away a lot of surplus ARCs for free (just pay shipping), but you just have to watch my Twitter page for that, and I only give to librarians and bloggers. If that's not you, sorry. Buy the book when it comes out, or go to your library. If they don't have it, try inter-library loan.

Have a question? Drop it in the comments or email me at thecompulsivereader@gmail.com.

Shelf Discovery: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

2011-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Shelf Discovery is a feature in which I highlight one book that I have found while prowling the shelves of the independent bookstore I work at it. These books aren't necessarily YA books; they're books that have discovered and find interesting or unique. I hope you do too.

I'll admit it...my reading experience with The Scarlet Letter wasn't so pleasant, and I was confused for most of the book. (I blogged about it all here.) I like to think of it as that one time when I went brain dead for seventeen chapters (it was probably right after NH used the word "ignominious" for the tenth time in the second chapter), but I never ended up hating it or anything. If anything, my Chapter 17 epiphany was what made me love the book and really get into it in the end.

So, I walked into work the other day, and a co-worker asked me, "Did you ever get a copy of that futuristic Scarlet Letter book?"

I love my job.

We stood around for two minutes as she tried to remember the title (there really ought to be a database for searching for books by their covers) and then eventually found it on good 'ole Amazon. I read the first line, and I was hooked.

When She Woke is set in the future, and is about a woman, Hannah Payne, whose skin is genetically modified to turn a bright red in punishment for the abortion of her child. The child is a result of an affair with a well-known man she is determined to protect.

"When she woke, she was red."

Basically, I need this book. Now, please. One more week of classes, two days of finals, and then I am doing nothing but reading for a month, and this book will be at the top of my list.

ETA: Amazon has a special where they're offering the Kindle edition for only $3! That's a steal! And those deals usually don't last long...

Cover Talk: Mockingbirds and Rivals Cover Facelift

2011-12-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Last year, Daisy Whitney's debut novel, The Mockingbirds, was released. I liked it a lot because it was all about standing up for yourself and demanding justice when the current system in place isn't doing the job. Plus, it borrowed from To Kill a Mockingbird in some very clever and fun ways. I picked up the sequel, The Rivals, at BEA. I haven't gotten to it yet, but the ARC shared the same cool, graphic style of the hardcover of The Mockingbirds.

Well, not surprisingly, I stumbled upon new covers for the series a couple of weeks ago. This is a rather annoying reality to the book business: a series will start with perfectly fine covers, only to get a facelift with book two or three. It's all about marketing, I suppose.

Here are the covers in the original style:

What I like the best about these ones is that they incorporate the graphic tree and leaves style that was featured on the first edition cover of To Kill a Mockingbird. And the little animals and font is really cool.

Here are the new covers:

I definitely like these, but for different reasons. They are a lot more modern and striking. The red is bright and would be a bit much, but there is the blue to temper it out a bit. I guess they give the books a more feminine feel, but I like them nevertheless. (The "dead" bird on the cover of the The Rivals is especially cool.)

Which set of covers do you prefer?

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park

2011-12-01T23:14:00.001-05:00

I've recently taken to testing the waters of the self-published books on Amazon. I didn't have much interest until I read Helper12 by Jack Blaine (read my review here). I then went on to read The Boyfriend Thief by Shana Norris, which I enjoyed a lot (once again, my review here). I was browsing Amazon and found Flat-Out Love, which has over 200 reviews on Amazon and an average of 4 stars. I downloaded the free sample, was charmed, and read the rest in a day! Here's my review!

Julie manages to escape her boring Ohio hometown for college in Boston only to discover that the apartment she rented was a scam, and she has nowhere to live. Her mother calls in a favor from her college roommate, and Julie moves in with the Watkins family. They're an eccentric bunch--Mr. Watkins is always traveling, Mrs. Watkins is a workaholic, and their son Matt is junior at MIT and a genius. Then, there's Celeste: a socially inept but brilliant teenager who hauls a cardboard cut-out of her oldest brother, Finn, wherever she goes. Finn, Julie is told, is backpacking abroad, and it's his room that she's occupying. As the weeks slide by, Julie becomes more and more involved in life with the Watkins, and begins an online friendship with Finn. Soon she begins to fall for the absentee Watkins, and she realizes that something isn't quite right in this household.

Jessica Park will hook readers in immediately with her quick humor and spunky heroine. Julie is a very fun, upbeat, and witty protagonist and her descriptions of her misadventures and experiences living with a family she's only just met are very entertaining. For the most part, she's a very realistic character; she's happy to finally be free of her hometown, she loves learning, she's self-deprecating as she stumbles through her first year in college, and she has a big heart. However, sometimes Park does give Julie an attitude when it comes to appearing smart; Julie claims it isn't cool, and avoids it at times while reveling in her nerdiness at others. This imbalance is a little frustrating (seeming to be embarrassed at your own intelligence is so passé) but it does temper as you get further into the book. The Watkins household is quirky to say the least; their antics and peculiar habits are charmingly eccentric at first, and with Celeste and Matt as new friends and Finn as a cyber-friend, Julie is able to overlook the obvious underlying problems the family has with a bit of humor. But as she begins to fall for Finn, it becomes apparent to the reader what exactly has happened—even if Julie doesn't figure it out for herself until the end.

Despite its copious amounts of witty repartee and tongue-in-cheek Facebook status updates, at its core Flat-Out Love is a serious book about growing up, learning to deal with responsibility, facing painful truths, and finding a way to keep living life. The romance in this book builds slowly, but it is powerful. Despite the small dialogue inconsistencies and the slight stretch of imagination required to get into the story, this is a very enjoyable book full of a lot of humor and heart.

Cover Comments: Unfortunately, I am of the opinion that this is a terrible cover! It's too yellow and cutesy, and it doesn't strike the right tone (kind of like its title) for this book. But, cover and title aside, this book is good!

I purchased this one from Amazon, where it's available for $2.99! Don't have a Kindle? You can download the free app to almost any device--computer, phone, iPod, whatever!

December Monthly Commenter Contest: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Future of Us came out a couple of weeks, and if you don't already have it, put it on your Christmas wishlists right now! It is AMAZING. I didn't so much read it as I devoured it last month. The concept, the dialogue, the characters, the relationship dramas are all jsut so real and engaging! I knew that there wasn't any other book I could possible choose as the prize for December's Monthly Commenter Contest!

How to win: Every time you post a significant comment that contributes to the conversation, I give you an entry into the contest! The more you comment, the more you entries you get! Only comments on posts from December 2011 are eligible, so keep coming back for more posts and more chances to comment. For all of the details, click here.

To read my review of the book, click here!

I loved this book so much, and I sincerely hope that you do as well! Enter away!

Legend Blog Tour with Marie Lu!

2011-11-30T00:30:00.000-05:00

Marie Lu's debut novel, Legend, was released this week! To celebrate, Marie is on the blog today to share her thoughts on...failure. It's an ironic choice of subject, especially since this book has received so much hype (and then there is that recent movie news), but Marie has had more of her fair share of rejection before now, and the fact that she kept going is awesome!

Here's Marie!

A Writer’s Familiarity with Failure Part One

It's easy for successstories to be the news we all like to focus on. Seven-figure deal! Four-book deal! Multi-city tour! And so on. Butfor almost every successful writer, there's a long story of struggle in hows/he managed to get there. And I was no different. So today I'm going to talkabout my failures in writing, and all the bumps I hit before I reached a smoothpatch of road.

When I first startedwriting seriously (i.e. for the goal of publication), I naively thought that Iwould finish my manuscript, send out a few letters to literary agencies, get anagent, and then be on my way to getting my manuscript accepted by a big NYpublisher. I was in high school. Life was bright, shiny, and optimistic. Howhard could it possibly be? Plenty of teenagers get publishing deals, I rememberthinking. Christopher Paolini. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. They were my idols, and Iwanted to make it into their small circle. Shouldn’t be too difficult!

HA.

I didn't even know howto write a proper query letter, but I mailed those letters off to about 30-40literary agents. The result? Manuscript #1 didn't get a single request forsample chapters. Not a single one.Undaunted, I sent out letters to a dozen more agencies. I got back a dozenadditional rejections. At this point I took a step back, flipped throughManuscript #1 again, and tried to be honest with myself. Manuscript #1 simplywasn't ready to be a book. It was full of cliches and meandering plots, weakcharacters and poor writing. I'd spent a full year writing it, and turning myback on it hurt. But I took a deep breath, put the file away in my archives,and started on Manuscript #2.

Manuscript #2 was The Glass Sonata, a fantasy novel someof you might remember. For this one I planned better. I worked hard on aworldbuilding document (a spreadsheet that I used to keep track of the places,countries, customs, and magic in my book), and even made a chapter-by-chapteroutline of how the story would go. I'd learned this was a good way to go intowriting a novel instead of plunging headlong into it with absolutely noplanning. I had high hopes for Manuscript #2. I worked on it with every sparemoment I had--setting my alarm for the middle of the night so that I couldwrite quietly for a couple of hours, sneaking moments in after school andduring lunch periods, writing on weekends when I should have been studying formy SAT (sorry Mom!). Manuscript #2 had stronger writing, better characters. Ithought it would be The One.

And for a while, itlooked like it might come true. I still got rejections, but I also got requestsfor sample chapters. While I settled into college life at USC, I got tworequests for the entire manuscript--one of them from a leading literary agencythat specialized in fantasy/sci-fi. Eagerly I bought a little laser printer andprinted out two sets of my four hundred page manuscript. Then I waited.

Eureka. Fantasy Agentcalled one afternoon, eager to sign me and TheGlass Sonata. I shrieked. This isgoing to happen. I now had a venerable agent at my side, and it was only amatter of time before a publisher bought Manuscript #2.

What I didn't know washow different it was to get an agent to take on your book, vs. what it takes toget a publisher to buy that book. Months went by. We got a couple of bites, andone request from an editor for revisions. I worked hard on that revision, sentit to my agent, and waited for the publishing contract to arrive. Nope.Silence. A year of silence.

As writer NatalieWhipple says, this is the quiet agony of writers who have been signed by agentsbut haven't had a publisher buy their books. You are now floating in a sort ofpurgatory, a space where you have no control over what happens to your book.The only thing I could do during this time to keep myself sane was to work onthe next manuscript. So I started Manuscript #3. I attended writers'conferences. I tried to hone my craft. Another year passed. Something happenedin my personal life that turned everything upside down. I became depressed,bitter, and unreasonably angry at times. I managed to finish Manuscript #3, butall the silent waiting and the personal life drama had taken its toll.Manuscript #3 was weak and unfocused. My agent was obviously not impressed.Months later, after I graduated and got my first job, we parted ways.

Catch part two of “AWriter’s Familiarity with Failure” tomorrow at Frenetic Reader!

And to enter to win a copy of Legend and a Legend button, fill out the form below! I hope you'll all check out this book!

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Interview with Julie Kagawa and a Contest!

2011-11-28T00:00:00.000-05:00

The fourth book in the Iron Fey series, The Iron Knight, came out not too long ago! To celebrate, I have author Julie Kagawa here to answer a few questions! (And there's a chance to win a copy of the book as well!)

You’ve written a few novellas in the series. Which do you find harder to write, the short stories or the full novels and why?

JK: They’re both challenging for different reasons. The full novels, by virtue of their length, take a lot of time to plan out, plot, and write. But strangely, it’s the lack of length in a short story that makes it harder to write; you don’t have a lot of time to get what you need done. I don’t really have a favorite of the two, though the novellas are a little less work overall.

You are an admitted gamer. If approached, would you prefer a movie version or a gaming version of your Iron Fey series?

JK: As much as I love gaming, I would have to say movie. (Because if the movie is a success they’ll make a game anyway, right?)

When writing about the Fey, there are a lot of tricks and loopholes involved, especially where Grimalkin is concerned. How do you manage to keep them all straight?

JK: Thankfully, my husband is very good at catching inconsistencies. He is the first to read the finished book, and will always tell me if something doesn’t work or make sense. (He’s also threatened to rip the semi-colon key off the keyboard, for all the semi-colons he’s had to take out, lol!)

Do you find it harder to write battle scenes or love scenes?

JK: Oh, love scenes, definitely. I have such a hard time with romance, believe it or not. Give me a good sword fight or bloody, violent battle any day.

Thanks, Julie! Just fill out the form below for a chance to win!

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Thankfulness (A Little Late)

2011-11-26T23:29:00.001-05:00

This Thanksgiving weekend, I am thankful for:

awesome books
equally awesome readers (of both said books and this blog)
the Flavia de Luce mysteries
my family
my job at the bookstore
my education (though I do make jokes about it, a college education that isn't putting me into debt is nothing to take for granted)
people who know how to write well
this tumblr, Reasoning with Vampires
Thanksgiving leftovers
the approaching end of the semester (two weeks!)
the fact that it is Saturday and I still have one precious day left in the weekend
your patience with this temporarily errant blogger

Two weeks, folks. Then I will be back at it full time, full force. In the meantime, back to the study cave.

Nina Malkin, an Interview, and a Contest, Oh My!

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Nina Malkin is the author of Swoon (read my review here) and its sequel, Swear (available now). The covers are gorgeous and the characters nice and complicated...as you can see in this interview between main characters Dice and Sin:

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Candice Reagan Moskow, AKA Dice, and Sinclair YoungbloodPowers, AKA Sin, the heroine and hero of SWOON and SWEAR, chat each other upabout revenge, regret, penance, power, skinny-dipping, Newton’s law of motionand love, love, love…

DICE: Here we are.

SIN: Indeed. Here we are. And how lovely you look.

DICE: Thanks. You too. You ready?

SIN: I’m not quite sure. It seems odd to invite others intoour personal conversation. Can you explain the purpose of this interview?

DICE: We’re trying to promo SWEAR, the sequel to SWOON. Andcome on, Sin. Everything that’s gone on between us has been laid bare in blackand white.

SIN [encircling her, whispering]: Surely not everything…

DICE: [indulging, then swatting him]: Cut it out. Now, sinceI narrate SWOON, everyone knows what Ithought when I first set eyes on you. What went through your mind when youfirst saw me?

SIN: You were my first sight, the moment my spiritsuccessfully transported, there beneath the ash tree. I looked up and Isaw…sanctuary. The care and concern inyour eyes. The warmth of your smile. I saw your heart, Dice, and it was love at first sight.

DICE: Yeah, well, you didn’t always treat me right, did you?

SIN: It is true. Love was not my reason for returning to SWOON.Revenge was. That’s not an excuse—it is simply the fact. But as I was to learn,revenge is a fool’s errand. What did you learn from SWOON?

DICE: I learned that anything is possible. I learned thatpeople can change. I learned…well, I began to understand about love—that it’snot always sunshine and flowers. Love is the challenges you meet for love.

SIN: Well said. And did you not also learn to embrace yourpower?

DICE: To an extent, yeah. But then, in the end…all I wantedwas to deny it, be regular, ordinary. So I guess the most burning questionwhen it comes to SWOON is: Sin, WTF? We have this amazing night, we fall asleepin a tangle of limbs by the fire, but next thing I know you’re gone. What happened? Where’d you go? Whydid you leave me?

SIN: I had to serve my penance, dear lady. After all we wentthrough, it was my honor to receive your love, and finally be ready to returnit, with all my heart and—yes—soul. But spiritually, cosmically, I still had topay for the havoc I wreaked. And so I found myself in exile. A cloudy nowhere.A cruel limbo. Yet the whole time, this omnipresent awareness of you. Didn’tyou feel me, too?

DICE: I did. My blue bruise—still as tender as the night youput it there. And those surreal nighttime encounters, stronger than dreams,more painful than reality. That’s why it was so hard to move forward. Did youwant me to get on with my life?

SIN: I did—and I didn’t. I hated to think of you pining, youwith so much energy, so much will, so much life. Even if it meant an eternityof watching you, I would endure it as long as you were happy. But I was unableto let you go—that was part of the torment. The only salve was the chance thatI might return somehow. And when you sang with Bruise Blue, the possibility ofour reunion grew stronger. Was it the same for you?

DICE: I don’t know. I was confused, torn. I never stoppedloving you, but I wanted to have a life. So then there was the band, and Tosh…

SIN: Yes. Tosh.

DICE: You’re not still…you’re over that now, right?

SIN: My lady, I love you. I even understand why you…strayed.But the image of one’s beloved in the arms of another is indelible.

DICE: I guess. I mean, the time I saw you dancing withAntonia Forsythe, the way she swooned in your arms. Even though I was 99.9999 toinfinity percent sure you weren’t into her, it was hard to watch.

SIN: Antonia. Poor Antonia. Most unfortunate.

DICE: Yeah, well. But talk about an adversary. The crap shepulled—on Crane…on little Charlotte…

SIN [ruefully]: Must we speak of her? Can we not be morelighthearted in this exchange? For instance, what is your favorite color, mylady?

DICE: My— Okay, green. Yours?

SIN: Blue. Indigo blue. The color of your eyes.

DICE: Oh, Sin. That’s sweet. But readers knowing that won’tcause a SWEAR stampede at bookstores. So tell me this: Any regrets from SWEAR?

SIN: Ha! Indeed! I regret I wasn’t there to witness theskinny-dipping! And you?

DICE [eyes clouding over]: I wish I could’ve done somethingfor Early Hampford. She was so cool. What a waste!

SIN: Indeed. In a way, Miss Hampford reminds me of yourother dear departed friend…

DICE: Oh, Sin! I know! I still miss Ruby so much…

SIN: My dear, my dear, come here. [Comforts her in his arms]As the survivor of a restive grave, I can assure you: Ruby is in a better placenow.

DICE [sniffling once]: I know. You’re right. [Snifflingagain] I’m okay. So let me ask you this: What’s your greatest lesson fromSWEAR?

SIN: The greatest lesson? For there are many…but if pressedI’d say that Newton’s law of motion—that every action has an equal and oppositereaction—hit home rather hard. Behavior from my past had consequences I wouldnever have imagined. So I learned one must be very careful in all matters ofthe heart. The law of motion can also be one of emotion—devastatingly so.

DICE: True that, Sin. For me, the biggest lesson is, itmakes no sense to swear to love. It’s futile. Love is more powerful than anypromise. Love is a gift beyond your control. When it comes to love, all you cando is believe.

SIN: And I do, Dice. I do. And because I believe in love,our love, I wonder about our story’s final chapter—SWOON, the trilogy.

DICE: Sin, that’s out of our hands. Our continuing sagawouldn’t even have come to print in SWEAR if readers hadn’t made SWOON such a success.If people embrace SWEAR as enthusiastically as they did SWOON, the publisherwill no doubt want to put it out as a book.

SIN [to you]: Soour fate is in your hand, dear reader. And I have faith that you will prevail.So much so, in fact, I’ve already begun the final segment. It shall be calledSWAY. And this time, the narrator is none other than yours truly, SinclairYoungblood Powers!

Intrigued? Well, you can enter to win a copy of Swoon and Swear below! Just fill out the form!

Many thanks to Nina (and Sin and Dice, of course!) for the interview, and I hope you enjoy the books!

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Shelf Discovery: Puffin Classics Get a Delightful New Look!

2011-11-20T15:23:00.001-05:00

I have found what are arguably the most adorable books I have ever seen in my life.

The Penguin Puffin children's classics.

They look like this:

So. Adorable.

There are so many things I love about these editions. The covers, first of all, are adorable and bright and vivid and just SO MUCH FUN. Whoever the artist is...he/she rocks.

I also love that these books are introduced by popular kids'/YA authors, like Rick Riordan, Christopher Paolini, Louise Rennison, Cornelia Funke, Garth Nix, Jennifer Donnelly, Eoin Colfer, Eva Ibbotson, and SO MANY MORE!

Also...these books are unabridged, and they're only $4.99!

When I started working at the bookstore, this was our selection:

Now, THIS is our selection:

I didn't really have much to do with the sudden influx of these lovely Puffin classics (I swear), but I am LOVING it! I have my little list (I mean, long...the paper on which it's written on is little) of books I must buy, and thankfully they are all only $4.99, so that means I can build my library easily! At the top of my list are: The Princess and the Goblin, Daddy Long-legs, Little Women (introduction by Louise Rennison! I can only imagine the epic awesome-ness!), and Alice in Wonderland!

What are some of your favorite children's classics? And what do you think of the Puffin covers?

As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott

2011-11-19T20:35:00.001-05:00

When Ava wakes up, she has no idea who she is. The bedroom she's in, the house she lives in, and the mother who lives with her are all completely unfamiliar. The doctors tell her it's all the result of some medical anomaly, perhaps an infection, that has completely wiped her memory, and one day she may recover it. So Ava goes on living, struggling to remember everything that is unfamiliar about her life. Soon, she does start remembering things—but they can't be memories from the life she's living now. Then she meets Morgan—he's the first one to acknowledge that the life she's living now is a lie, and he's the key to figuring out who she is and reclaiming her life.

As I Wake is a very intriguing book with an unexpected twist. Fans of Scott's Love You Hate You Miss You will be attracted to it thanks to the brief summary, but this sci-fi mystery masquerading as a dramatic contemporary novel is more similar to Grace than any of her other work. Ava's situation is unique, and her questions are immediate: who is she? Where is she? Who doesn't she remember anything? And, how did she get to this unfamiliar place? Those questions are enough to hook readers, and the strange and uneasy atmosphere of Ava's home life and social life contribute to the overall feeling that something isn't quite right. Scott sprinkles in snatches of Ava's life before she lost her memory, giving readers a glimpse into an unsettling world where Ava walks a fine line between obedience and rebelling against what she has always known. The particulars of both the present world and Ava's past world are very vague and hazy, and readers never really learn how they are linked, or how exactly Ava got into the situation that she is in. Nonetheless, the tension between characters and the mystery of what happened to Ava is interesting, and that will keep readers going until the very end, even though many questions are left unanswered.

Cover Comments: This cover is definitely different! The way the girl is hiding her face is neat, and the smoke from her hair kind of alludes to some events in the book. Very nice.

Review copy purchased.

Interview with Anna Carey!

2011-11-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

Back in September, I counted down to the release of Eve with Anna Carey, and now she's back on the blog with another interview! If you haven't already read Eve, I encourage you to do so, and if you haven't heard of the book, please check out my review!

TCR: What's the best reader reaction to Eve that you have received thus far?

AC: I'm obsessed with this video from Anna over at www.annareads.com Partially because I've pondered all the same things (How WOULD I survive? Is eating pirate booty a translatable skill?) and partially because I love stick figures and The Shins. Check it out here: http://www.annareads.com/2011/11/my-new-favorite-genre.html

TCR: If you were stranded in the wilderness like Eve is at one point in the book, what would be your survival strategy?

AC: Hide! So much of whether you live or die in the wild depends on how long you can fly under the radar. Eve has to follow the main road (it's the only lead she has on Califia) but if I could, I'd use lesser known streets. I'd spend the first few days going from house to house, collecting any supplies I could--a backpack, canned foods, flashlights, tarps, blankets, etc. (depending on what type of apocalypse it is, this could be challenging). I'd travel at night and sleep during the day, looking for a place to set up camp. I'd want somewhere 1.) well hidden, 2.) that had a water supply, and 3.) had workable soil. Then I'd live there as long as possible...

TCR: What are some of your writing essentials?

AC: I need my youthberry tea from Teavana (if it actually works I've shaved ten years off my age), a couple of Dum Dum pops, and Freedom, which has changed my life. The program is cheap ($10) and allows you to block the internet on your computer for up to eight hours at a time. You know you're living in "the future" when you have to pay your computer to withhold things from you.

TCR: Can you share any information with readers about Eve being developed into a TV show?

AC: It's in the early stages, but the series has been optioned and a pilot is in development. I'll keep everyone updated on facebook and twitter!

TCR: I can wait to hear more! Thank you so much, Anna!

If you want to read Eve, then fill out thr form below for the chance to win a signed copy!

You can also visit the official Eve website, Like it on Facebook, follow Anna Carey on Twitter, and read her blog! Yay!

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The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2011-11-17T11:42:00.001-05:00

It's 1996, and when Emma's dad's new wife has a baby, she gets her first desktop computer from him. She fires it up, and with the America Online CD-ROM given to her by her friend and next-door neighbor Josh, the two of them log on to the internet…only to find the page that comes up is Facebook—fifteen years into the future. At first they're convinced it's a joke...Josh really won't end up marrying the hottest girl in the school, who, before now, has never even spoken to him, will he? And Emma would never be so unhappy, right? When it becomes obvious that this Facebook thing isn't a joke, but the actual future, both Emma and Josh start acting differently...changing their Facebook pages, and their futures.

Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler have created an awesome and inventive book in The Future of Us! Both are excellent writers and they seamlessly piece their own styles and voices together to create an accessible and fun book that teenagers today will have no trouble getting into, despite being set in 1996. They've got the dialogue, the emotions, and the drama down perfectly. The dynamics between Emma, Josh, and their close friends were excellent. Each have their own relationship dramas that play into the futures that Emma and Josh see on Facebook, and as they try to "fix" things, they discover that more issues crop up, leading them to the realization that while you can't control the future, you have the power to change your own life, and if you live your life trying to control what may happen, you won't really enjoy living. The little details about life before everyone had cell phones, Facebook pages, and tablets are kind of fun for those readers who remember the '90's and the pop culture of the time, but even if you don't, The Future of Us is still an engaging, fun book with plenty of humor, relationship drama, and just enough romance to satisfy teens and adults alike. Definitely do not miss this book.

Cover Comments: I like the cover! It;s neat how the pair on the cover aren't totally visible, and I think the design of the cover is really neat! I also like how it's not overly feminine, so I hope both males and females will be encouraged to pick it up!

ARC picked up at BEA.

This ones hits stores on Tuesday!

Looking Ahead: Aimee Agresti and Illuminate!

2011-11-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

Looking Ahead is a feature in which new upcoming books and their authors are featured! Take a minute to read the interview, get to know them, read about their book(s), and find them on the internet!

Today I have Aimee Agresti and her book, Illuminate! I was lucky enough to snag this one at GLIBA, and it is a gorgeous book!

TCR: Can you describe your book in ten words or less?

AA: Yikes, ten words, that's tough! OK, how about this, it sounds like a fun newspaper headline: Teen angel battles devils, saves souls and falls in love.

TCR: What has surprised you the most about the publishing process?

AA: I think it's that I've been so very well cared for. The folks at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt have been so wonderful and enthusiastic. I have an incredible editor, who I adore, and who has such a sharp eye. I've learned a lot from her. And everyone I've worked with from the publicist to the cover designer to the copy editor has had such genuinely kind words about the book. That's meant a lot, especially to a first-timer like me. These are all people who have a lot of books to work on and the fact that they're giving their all to mine is something I appreciate so much and don't take for granted. It also helps that I happen to have a fantastic agent who keeps involved every step of the way and is a real friend. What can I say? I'm a lucky girl!

TCR: What was your reaction when you saw your cover?

AA: My reaction was: WOW!!!!!!!! I absolutely LOVED it. I mean, look at that thing, it's just gorgeous! It really embodies the feeling of glamour in the book and then I just love that wing in shadow behind her. It's a really special touch that captures the idea that Haven has to work to earn her wings and isn't a full-fledged angel just yet. It's just a great image. And the cover model is beautiful, her expression says so much: she's somehow able to perfectly convey Haven's soulful vulnerability. I just love it. As soon as I saw it, I told the brilliant cover designer, Liz Tardiff, that I hope this book will, indeed, be judged by its cover!

TCR: Where can we stay up to date on you and your book?

AA: My website aimeeagresti.com is the place to go for news and updates. Stay tuned: I'll be posting fun things like an ILLUMINATE playlist and soon I'll be doing my first giveaway!

Thanks so much, Aimee! To learn more about Aimee's book, visit her website, or read on!

"Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything changes when she isawarded a prestigious internship at a posh Chicago hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous strangers: the powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.

As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the
hotel?"

This one will be available on March 6th, 2012!

Kindle!

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

I've said this quite a bit already, but I love my Kindle that I received last Christmas! It's a really excellent device, and what makes it really stand apart is the E-Ink technology, which is fantastic.

However, I don't have the new Amazon Kindle, and I am a little curious to know if any of you have purchased it, and how it compares. I am especially interested in the Kindle Touch--what do you all think? Is it easy and enjoyable to use? If you don't have one, are you looking at buying one?

Let me know in the comments!

The Hunger Games Trailer!

2011-11-14T17:32:00.001-05:00

If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading what I have to say and watch this amazing trailer!

My goosebumps aren't going away! I am so excited!

What do you think?

Contest: Win the Latest Books from This Is Teen!

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

Check out some of the latest books from Scholastic's This Is Teen! They look to be an adventurous, action-filled bunch! And thanks to the generosity of Scholastic, you have the opportunity to win a copy of all three books--Underdogs, The Eleventh Plague, and iBoy!

About the books:

The Eleventh Plague
By Jeff Hirsch

“The Eleventh Plague hits disturbingly close to home…An excellent, taut debut novel.” – Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games

In the aftermath of a war, America’s landscape has been ravaged and two thirds of the population left dead from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen-year-old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade for food and other items essential for survival. But when Stephen’s grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler’s Landing, a community that seems too good to be true, where there are real houses, barbecues, a school, and even baseball games. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievous Jenny, who refuses to accept things as they are. And when they play a prank on the town bully’s family that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts, and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler’s Landing forever.

Underdogs
By Markus Zusak

Before The Book Thief, Markus Zusak wrote a trilogy of novels about the Wolfe brothers: The Underdogs, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and Getting the Girl. Cameron and Ruben Wolfe are champions at getting into fights, coming up with half-baked schemes, and generally disappointing girls, their parents, and their much more motivated older siblings. They’re intensely loyal to each other, brothers at their best and at their very worst. But when Cameron falls head over heels for Ruben’s girlfriend, the strength of their bond is tested to its breaking point.

iBoyBy Kevin Brooks

Before the attack, Tom Harvey was just an average teen. But a head-on collision with high technology has turned him into an actualized App. Fragments of a shattered iPhone are embedded in his brain. And they’re having an extraordinary effect on his every thought. Because now Tom knows, sees, and can do more than any normal boy ever could. But with his new powers comes a choice: Seek revenge on the vicious gangs who rule the South London housing project where he lives, and who violated his friend Lucy? Or keep quiet and move on? Not even the search engine in his head can predict the shocking outcome of iBoy’s actions. A wifi, thriller by YA master Kevin Brooks.

Want to win them? Just fill out the form below!

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Mastiff by Tamora Pierce

2011-11-12T19:45:00.000-05:00

This is the final book in the Legend of Beka Cooper trilogy. Click here to read my review of Terrier, and here to read my review Bloodhound.

Beka Cooper has been a Dog for four years now, and partner to Tunstall for nearly three of them. When Mastiff begins, she is burying her betrothed, and wracked with grief and guilt, because no one knows that she was about to break it off with him before he died. She doesn't have much time to think about her tragedy, though, when the Lord Provost calls her out of bed at night and summons her and Tunstall to the Summer Palace, where a terrible crime has been committed. There are traitors living among the royal family that have aided in the kidnapping of the prince, and the Lord Provost trusts Beka, Tunstall, and Lady Sabine to track him. The stakes are higher than ever, and this is the most dangerous trail Beka and Achoo have ever followed.

Mastiff is high-speed, complicated finale to this excellent trilogy. Similar to the prequel, Bloodhound, this one unfortunately excludes a lot of favorite characters from the first book, and Goodwin. Thankfully, Tunstall, Sabine, Pounce, Achoo, and new character Farmer keep Mastiff plenty entertaining with their humorous exchanges and quick thinking. Farmer is a character readers probably won't take very seriously at first, but as he and Beka get to know each other better and better, a romance begins to unfold in the midst of attacks, dead-ends, and questions about trust. The hunt for the stolen prince is very long and sometimes quite toiling, but Pierce throws in plenty of action along the way to break it up, and she begins to set the scene for social change that is about to occur in Tortall, taking it from the more liberal world to one where women are stifled by skirts and expectations. She also ties in some history lessons that relate to stories and incidences in later Tortall books that fans will delight in.

As the search for the prince winds down and the group gets ever closer to exposing the criminals and traitors, it becomes evident to Beka that something isn't quite right. The shocking ending to Mastiff is heartbreaking and may be hard to swallow for some, but Pierce does leave Beka in a happy place by the end of the story. It's a bittersweet, surprising finale, but a good one nonetheless, and the epilogue, told from Geroge Cooper's point of view, ties everything together nicely and will leave you feeling nostalgic for Pierce's debut book. Mastiff, while unexpected, is the perfect twisty end to this unique and engaging trilogy.

Cover Comments: I love the green and the view of the mountains in the distance! I do think that Beka looking behind her is an awkward pose, but it's not too noticeable.

Review copy provided by publisher.

What did you think of the ending? It broke my heart!

Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce

2011-11-11T18:55:00.000-05:00

This is book two of the Legend of Beka Cooper trilogy! Click here to read my review of the first book, Terrier, and check back tomorrow for my review of the final book, Mastiff!

It's been over a year since Beka Cooper and her partners Goodwin and Tunstall took down the killer that was preying on the Lower City. Now Beka is a full-fledged Dog, and finds herself unable to keep a partner that is willing to keep up and put up with her. She's assigned to Goodwin and Tunstall once again, but after a bread riot leaves Tunstall with a broken leg, Beka and Goodwin are sent to Port Caynn to try and discern the cause behind counterfeit coins that caused the riot. Their undercover operation has the potential to get deadly, especially since the Rogue of the city is a foolish woman who runs about unchecked, and the Deputy Provost is too afraid to do anything about her. When the trail runs cold, can Beka be as tenacious as a bloodhound and find the perpetrators?

Beka is once again thrown into the midst of a dangerous, life-or-death mystery in Bloodhound. The setting of Port Caynn is different and perhaps a bit if a disappointment to those who love Corus, and the absence of some key characters is sad, but Pierce makes up for it with a few fun new characters (including a scent hound named Achoo) and an excellent mystery. Beka really becomes a strong, independent character in this novel as she must role-play with Goodwin in order to get close to their enemies, and then handle the situation on her own when Goodwin is detained in Corus. The conflict is pleasantly sophisticated and engaging—counterfeit coins are showing up, and the economy of Tortall is beginning to suffer quickly. The source of these false coins is a mystery, and as Beka and Achoo travel all over the corrupted city of Port Caynn, Pierce really expands the world of Tortall and makes it even more realistic and vivid. Beka is very grounded and persistent throughout the book, which culminates in a fast-paced, heart-pounding chase for the mastermind behind the scheme that leaves Beka close to death. The humor in this book is good, the mystery absorbing, and the action nonstop. Bloodhound is yet another excellent installment to this trilogy, though readers will be eager for the third and final book and the return of some of their favorite supporting characters.

Cover Comments: I am liking the purple and how dark and mysterious this cover is! How appropriate that Beka is looking down. Very nice!

Review copy received as gift.

Terrier by Tamora Pierce

2011-11-10T17:49:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Mastiff, the final book in Tamora Pierce's latest trilogy came out. I was beyond excited as I've loved Pierce's work since I was about 11. I've read all of her Tortall books (which can have very confusing order, so click here if you want to know more about that) and I had read Terrier back about 5 years ago. I had Bloodhound, book two, sitting on my shelf since about Christmas of 2008 or 2009, but hadn't gotten to it. So, I took a delightful week and I got caught up. Here's my review of Terrier! Look for Bloodhound's review tomorrow, and Mastiff the day after!

Beka Cooper is the newest puppy in the Provost's Dogs, the guards that keep the peace in the streets Corus, the capital city. She's tough, which is a quality that is required to work in the Lower City, the seediest portion. She's also been assigned to the two best veteran Dogs in the Guard—Tunstall and Goodwin. They're a famous pair, and it'll take everything that Beka has to keep up with them—and to cobble a killer that has been preying on the poor and kidnapping their children. Beka has a few unconventional talents—she can speak to the dead through the city's pigeons, and she communicates with dust spinners...but will it be enough to survive her first few months in Provost’s Guard?

Terrier, the first book in the Legend of Beka Cooper trilogy, is quite a departure from Pierce's earlier work. First, it's set in Corus, Tortall—two hundred years before Alanna's story begins. Second, it's written in first person journal format. However, that style works for this story, and there's plenty that is familiar about Beka's world that will draw Tortall fans in. Pierce really makes Corus come alive in this one, painting a vivid picture of what life was like for people before Alanna's time (tough, especially with slavers looking to kidnap children, but not without its redeeming qualities—strong women who could fight were a part of everyday life), and the fine line that the Dogs have to walk each day. Their job is equal parts enforcing the law and allowing certain lawlessness to occur (such as bribe taking) to keep the peace, especially when dealing with the Rogue's court. This is epitomized in Beka's tentative friendship with three newcomers who become her neighbors, but aren't always on the right side of the law. However, she is fiercely loyal to her job and the Crown, and determined to do what is right. She is a bit over eager at times, and makes mistakes, but her partners Tunstall and Goodwin keep her on the right path, and the dynamics between the three of them are delightful. The two mysteries that the Dogs have to deal with are puzzling and perfectly drawn out to keep you hanging in suspense, and the seriousness is punctuated by arch remarks from Beka's cat Pounce, who readers will recognize by the name Faithful. All in all, Terrier is a terrific start to what is sure to be a suspenseful, promising trilogy!

Cover Comments: I am loving this cover! I like how Beka looks very tough and bad-ass with her stare and baton, and the pigeons and the cat are the perfect additions! Awesome colors, awesome cover!

Review copy purchased.

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

2011-11-09T09:50:00.002-05:00

Living in a dangerous world controlled by a weak, desperate queen, Charlie is harboring a dangerous secret. In her world, classes are drawn and enforced by the language you speak, and it is a crime punishable by death to know a language other than your own. Charlie doesn't just know another class's language—she knows them all. It's a difficult ability to hide, and her life depends on appearing ignorant. But one night, at an underground club, Charlie meets an intriguing young man, Max, who seems different from everyone else. This is quickly proven when she catches him speaking a language she's never heard before. Their encounter isn't by chance, and soon Charlie's world will be turned upside down.

The Pledge is a dark and magical book with a very unique concept. Derting’s world, which is a blend of dystopia and fantasy, is dangerous and full of hidden tunnels and carefully kept secrets that Charlie is slowly exposed to soon after meeting Max. Her family has sacrificed a great deal to keep her secret safe throughout her life, so she's always cautious, but she soon gets sucked into a conflict much bigger than herself. There are more than a few shocking surprises along the way—people who aren't at all what they appear, long-kept family secrets, and other secret abilities—that keep this book suspenseful and intriguing, and the threat of a queen who will stop at nothing to get what she wants is chilling. The book ends with a satisfying, open ending that will leaves room for a sequel in which hopefully many unanswered questions and unresolved issues will be addressed. The Pledge is an interesting departure from Derting's other work, but it is unique and promising.

Cover Comments: I absolutely love this cover! How the girl's face is partially obscured, how the title is displayed, the darkness of it--it's so intriguing and mysterious! I think that this is one that a LOT of people will be drawn to!

The Pledge will be released on November 15th!

ARC provided by publisher.

Cover Talk: Grace Cover Change Up

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth Scott is an amazingly prolific writer, and she's also very dynamic. One of my favorite books by her is Grace, a dystopia that has some frightening parallels with out own world. Her writing is stark and beautiful and she is at her very best in it. (Check out my review here.) The cover is also just as striking--an outline of a girl's face amongst flames, which holds some significance in the book. Check it out:

Beautiful, right? This is the hardcover edition.

I recently discovered that the paperback got a cover makeover, and at first I was against it, but the more I study this new cover, the more I like it.

The flames that I liked so well are still present, and the image of them consuming the feather is so, so symbolic and fits with what happens in the story. I like the simple black background and the orange font. The simplicity of this cover is just beautiful.

Which one do you like better?

Shelf Discovery: The Chronicles of Harris Burdick

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Show of hands...who ever had to write a short story in Creative Writing based off of Chris Van Allsburg's The Mysteries of Harris Burdick? I definitely did when I was in seventh grade, and I thought it was the coolest assignment ever! I wrote my story on "Mr. Linden's Library" and I still have it floating around on my hard drive somewhere.

If you haven't heard of this picture book (which is tragic, and you should go get a copy), then what it is a picture book composed entirely of fourteen pictures, titles, and captions. Van Allsburg gives an introduction in which he tells us that they came from a book editor who received them from a man named Harris Burdick. He asked the ediotr to look at some samples of his work, and then promised to return with all fourteen stories and illustrations. He never did.

While I never actually wrote any other stories based on that amazing picture book, I sure thought about it, and those pictures and captions really captured my imagination and made me long to figure out the mystery behind Harris Burdick. I thought about him every time I walked by Van Allsburg's books at work (I also recommend Queen of the Falls and The Polar Express!).

So, I was beyond thrilled when I was processing an order last week and stumbled upon The Chronicles of Harris Burdick! It is a collection of the original drawings, their captions, the original introduction from Van Allsburg, AND fourteen original short stories written by some really awesome writers like Kate DiCamillo, Stephen King, Sherman Alexie, Lois Lowry, M.T. Anderson, Gregory Maguire, Walter Dean Meyers, and more! Plus, it has a lovely and hilarious introduction from Lemony Snicket! (Why, oh why couldn't HE have written a story as well?)

I was so, so, so tempted to buy it then and there, but I held myself back. (Maybe for Christmas...) Instead, I read the stories while at the store. It is going to be my next pick of the month, for sure (if I can sell the copy of How to Save a Life that's sitting in the slot, it'll go up sooner). I'll have to post a review sometime this month, but let me tell you...this book rocks. I love it, love it, love it. I will forgive Walter Dean Meyers for making his version of "Mr. Linden's Library" so different from mine, and I want to high-five Stephen King for his awesome finishing piece. These stories are so wonderful, they'll make you want to pick up a pen and create your own. I would totally be open to a Chronicles of Harris Burdick Volume II!

Did you ever write a Harris Burdick story? What was yours about?

And for you teachers out there...copy and paste no more! There is now a Harris Burdick portfolio version to use for your creative writing classes!

Interview With Nicole From Tribute Books!

2011-11-06T19:02:00.000-05:00

Tribute Books recently announced that due to changes in the market and economy, they would be making the switch from publishing print and e-books to e-books only! Read on to find out more about the decision in this interview with Nicole of Tribute Books!

TCR: What led you to your decision to only publish YA e-books?

N: Our main reason is the explosion in popularity of e-readers such as the Kindle, Nook and iPad. Over the course of 2011, we've watched our ebook sales outpace our print sales by 2 to 1. The under $5 price point of most of our titles and the ease of purchase and delivery are surely contributing factors.

On a business level, the young adult genre sells especially if it is well written and has a paranormal romance theme. On a marketing level, the devotion of the young adult fan base is unparalleled. On a personal level, I thoroughly enjoy a good young adult novel and review many on my blog at http://tributebooksreviews.blogspot.com.

TCR: How will your publishing approach change? How do you anticipate that it will remain the same?

N: Our submission guidelines are stricter. Manuscripts that have already been professionally edited will receive greater consideration. Our preference is to work with authors who have already been published through a royalty-paying press and who know the ins and outs of book promotion. An established social media platform is a must, and we will not consider writers who do not have a well-followed blog, Facebook page or Twitter account.

Our support system will remain the same. What sets us apart is our one-on-one interaction with our authors. We go the extra mile in doing everything we can to promote our titles on a daily basis even years after a book's initial release. I'm a believer in doing what you love and working with like-minded people, when it's at all possible.

TCR: What sorts of stories are you going to be looking for?

N: We're looking for ebook submissions for the young adult genre. Our preference is for damn good writing, the particular topic is secondary in importance. However, ebooks written with a series in mind or those that delve into the paranormal will have a slight edge.

Interested authors can submit their manuscripts via email to info@tribute-books.com. There will be no charge for the authors we select to work with, and they will receive 50% of the net profits of their ebook sales in quarterly royalty payments. We're looking for Microsoft Word documents with a maximum of 350 pages of text with no photos, charts, illustrations, graphs, etc.

My hope is that we are able to recruit some talented writers of well-written, well-crafted stories in order to develop an eager fan base for the titles we publish. We want readers to be excited about the ebooks we produce. Young adult authors have the most devoted fan followings out there, and we'd like to introduce that audience to a whole new host of talent.

TCR: What do you believe is the most important element of publicity for a new book?

N: I am a big believer in the power of social media. I even conduct monthly blog tours for outside publishers and authors in order to help them increase the online presence of a book. Book bloggers are a powerful force in the book industry. With more and more book stores closing and book review columns being cut from major newspapers, readers are depending on bloggers to help them find the books they want to read. They are turning to the internet as a reference point to fill this information gap.

In my opinion, social networking is the bread and butter of any author's promotional efforts. Without it, it's like trying to paddle upstream without a canoe. Readers want to connect with the person who wrote the book. They crave interaction with an author. Nothing beats getting a writer to comment on a blogger's book review post or getting a personalized thank you tweet from your favorite author. The days of authors being isolated from their fans is over. They're now able to build an online following and receive instant feedback for their work. They have the opportunity to take part in creating their own literary community.

TCR: Thanks, Nicole!

Crossed and Ally Condie and a Contest, Oh My!

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

Crossed is the sequel to Matched, Ally Condie's awesome new dystopia trilogy, and it just came out on Tuesday! I sincerely hope you all get the chance to pick it up! You can click here to read my review of Matched, and here to read my review of Crossed.

Today, I have Ally here on the blog to talk about her publishing process, and I'll be giving away a Crossed prize pack!

Journey to Publication, Part 2

To read the first part of the journey, click here.

I worked on Matched from the fall of 2008 to the summer of 2009. When I finished it, I knew it wasn’t a good fit for the regional publisher who had published my first five books. So I took a deep breath and started looking for an agent, hoping I’d meet with more success than my initial attempt five years earlier.

I decided to pace myself. I sent out 5-10 queries each week. They were cold queries, which means I had no connections and they went into the slush pile with everyone else. I found that my earlier books had no bearing on what agents thought of my current work—they saw my previous publications as neither an asset nor a liability. I believe I sent out about 50 queries total, with my fastest rejection arriving via e-mail within half an hour and my slowest…well, let’s just say that some of the rejection letters still haven’t arrived. But after two months of querying, an agent offered representation. When I let the other agents know that had happened, suddenly my book was moved to the front burner and people were reading it more quickly. Eventually I had seven offers of representation. I couldn’t believe it. I remember the flurry of setting up phone calls and the unreal feeling that I might make it farther than I ever had on the national scene—I might actually get an agent.

When I spoke with Jodi Reamer at Writers House, it was clear to me immediately that she was exactly as awesome, smart, savvy, and personable as her reputation indicated. I was thrilled when Jodi offered representation and knew she was the right person to advocate for me and for Matched. After about a month of revisions, Jodi took the book to auction. Six publishing houses came back with offers, and ultimately I was blessed enough to end up with Julie Strauss-Gabel at Dutton/Penguin. It was my dream to work with Julie, as I knew and respected her work with other authors, and it has been even more wonderful than I thought it would be.

To those who don’t know the whole story, my journey to publication appears rather fast—begin writing a book in 2008, sell it in 2009, have it released in 2010—but it was all those years and all those books before that made something like this possible. I could never have written Matched when I first set out. The early rejections made success that much sweeter.

And now, the sequel to Matched is almost out in the world! Writing Crossed was another dream come true, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

About Ally:

Ally Condie is the author of the international bestseller Matched, and its newly-released sequel, Crossed. Matched was chosen as one of YALSA’s 2011 Teens’ Top Ten, named asone of Publishers Weekly’s BestChildren’s Books of 2010, selected as the #1 Pick on the Winter Kid’s IndieNext List, and received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. In a starred review for the sequel, Crossed, Kirkus called the Matched series an “addictive, layereddystopic trilogy.”

A former English teacher (who still keeps her licensecurrent, just in case!), she lives with her husband and three sons outside ofSalt Lake City, Utah. She loves reading, writing, running, and listening to herhusband play guitar.

Now...contest time! Thanks to the generosity of Penguin, I have a signed copy of Crossed, a Matched/Crossed/book 3 poster, and 3 Matched buttons to give away to one lucky winner! Just fill out the form below to enter!

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Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

2011-11-03T20:03:00.000-04:00

Juliette has spent her entire life ostracized because she possesses a dangerous power, and now she is imprisoned. For the past 264 days, she's lived in solitary confinement, held captive by a faceless enemy. Then one day, she receives a cell mate—Adam. Juliette remembers Adam from her childhood as the only one who never mistreated her, but isn't sure if he remembers her. His appearance changes everything for Juliette, and she slowly begins to see herself as a person, not a weapon to be used. Adam offers Juliette a way out…that is, if she can bring herself to trust him.

Shatter Me is a tense, surprising book that absolutely rocks. Mafi allows you to really get inside of Juliette's head with the stream of consciousness narrative, which is very revealing and fascinating to read. You really understand Juliette's pain and struggles in how she trains herself to think that she somehow is deserving of her cruel treatment because of deadly mistakes in the past, and that because of her frightening ability, she doesn't deserve humanity. Her views are shattered when Adam appears and he and Juliette struggle to trust each other; once they do, their relationship is intense and their romance smoldering. Mafi skillfully builds suspense throughout the book as the world Juliette lives in is revealed to be dark and destructive, with secrets and danger in every nook, and as Juliette struggles to stay out of the grasp of Warner, a smart, calculating young man with too much power and a dangerous fixation on Juliette. However, the central conflict throughout Shatter Me is really Juliette's struggle with her ability and touch, how it has shaped her, what it means for her enemies, and for any possible future she might have. As the drama unfolds, Juliette learns that she may be capable of more than she ever could have imagined. Despite all of the fear, confusions, and danger in the uncertain ending, there is hope for a strong new heroine who is just beginning to come into power. Fans of Shatter Me will have a hard time waiting for a sequel.

Cover Comments: Even though the white dress doesn't really appear in the novel, I like how bright and eye-catching it is, especially against the silver back drop and the "shattering" effect in the background! So awesome! I am also in love with the way the title is slashed through!

ARC picked up at BEA.

This one will be out on November 15th, 2011!

For a chance to win Shatter Me all this month, check out the Monthly Commenter Contest!

Looking Ahead: Meg Medina and The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Looking Ahead is a feature in which new upcoming books and their authors are featured! Take a minute to read the interview, get to know them, read about their book(s), and find them on the internet!

Today I have Meg Medina with her book The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind!

TCR: Can you describe your book in ten words or less?

MM: Girl overcomes a mountain of myths, suffers, loves, saves herself.

TCR: What has surprised you the most about the publishing process?

MM: I have loved this process, but you’re right, it’s full of surprises.

The good: The world of children’s books and YA is filled with talented, generous people, who love books and want to help.

The bad: You do not become a millionaire...or even financially able to leave your day job for a long while.

The ugly: Once you start publishing, you have to keep up a pace of writing new manuscripts that can be grueling. That magic time of the first novel is over.Also, you will spend a lot of time supporting your own books through events, social media, promotional materials, etc. Often you will ask, "but when do I write?"

Still, I wouldn't trade this life for anthing.

TCR: What was your reaction when you first saw your cover?

MM: I never like my covers when I first see them. It’s like seeing myself in film or something. Yikes. I’ve learned that this is a knee jerk reaction. In time, I truly love my covers.

TCR: Where can we stay up to date on you and your book?

MM: www.megmedina.com. I’m also on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/meg_medina
and on Facebook. I keep an author page on Amazon, too.

This one is available March 13th, 2012! Scroll down to read the official summary!

"Sixteen-year-old Sonia Ocampa was born on the night of the worst storm Tres Montes had ever seen. And when the winds mercifully stopped, an unshakable belief in the girl's protective powers began. All her life, Sonia has been asked to pray for sick mothers or missing sons, as worried parents and friends press silver milagros in her hands. Sonia knows she has no special powers, but how can she disappoint those who look to her for solace? Still, her conscience is heavy, so when she gets a chance to travel to the city and work in the home of a wealthy woman, she seizes it. At first, Sonia feels freedom in being treated like all the other girls. But when news arrives that her beloved brother has disappeared while looking for work, she learns to her sorrow that she can never truly leave past or family behind. With deeply realized characters, a keen sense of place, a hint of magical realism, and a flush of young romance, Meg Medina tells the tale of a strong-willed, warmhearted girl who dares to face life's harsh truths as she finds her real power."

November Monthly Commenter Contest: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

2011-11-01T00:00:00.001-04:00

Shatter Me is one book that you're going to be hearing a LOT about this month--and for good reason! It is a stunningly awesome book that I absolutely could not get enough of! It's got the dystopia elements that are popular right now, but the best part about it is the narrator, Juliette, her unique powers and experiences reminiscent of a superhero, and the sizzling romance! I am beyond excited about this book, which is why I've made it the prize for November's commenter contest!

How to win: Every time you post a significant comment that contributes to the conversation, I give you an entry into the contest! The more you comment, the more you entries you get! Only comments on posts from November 2011 are eligible, so keep coming back for more posts and more chances to comment. For all of the details, click here.

Here's what Amazon has to say about the book:

"You can't touch me," I whisper.
I'm lying, is what I don't tell him.
He can touch me, is what I'll never tell him.
But things happen when people touch me.
Strange things.
Bad things.
No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon.
But Juliette has plans of her own.

Look for my review, coming soon, with more details about this awesome book. For now, just trust me when I say that you WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK. And of course, as always, it comes with awesome, fun swag! Enter away!

Crossed by Ally Condie

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Cassia has been working in the Outer Provinces, looking for any sign of Ky, held together by the hope of the poetry that her grandfather gave her and her memories of the boy she loves. After months, she finally picks up his trail, and learns that he has escaped with two other boys to the Carving, vast canyons on the edge of the Society's control. She escapes with her new friend Indie and the two girls follow Ky. But their reunion isn't all that Cassia expects it to be. There are secrets that Ky has kept from her, and they might force them apart once more. Will their love and will to survive be enough to keep them together?

Crossed is a much more philosophical and thoughtful book than its prequel, Matched. In between rich, metaphorical language, Condie has woven in two beautiful poems by Dylan Thomas and Alfred Tennyson that don't just accentuate the novel, but become integral elements as Cassia realizes that the poems aren't just illegal, but an vital part of the rebellion. Condie also does a beautiful job with the character development as Cassia has to re-evaluate all of her beliefs and Ky grapples with the idea of the rebellion and how it plays into his relationship with Cassia. In addition, the new supporting characters are interesting and complicated and each experiences their own inner turmoil. This drama all plays out with a fair amount of action in the rugged, beautiful, and fascinating canyons, a wonderful setting. At the end, there is a twist that readers won't see coming, and though it may be hard to accept at first, it's a tantalizing new development that has the potential to alter the dynamics between the characters dramatically. Crossed is a thoughtful, very readable book, and though its ending is a bit abrupt, it sets the stage for what's bound to be a very good sequel.

Cover Comments: Love this cover! It's very representative of how Cassia really has to re-arrange her thinking and break out of the bubble. Awesome.

This book is out today!

FURY Winner!

2011-10-31T20:14:00.002-04:00

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the Fury contest and spread the word about it! After tallying up all of your entries and using a random number generator, I have a winner!

Congratulations to....

Jessy!

Watch your email for more info on how to get your prize! And thanks so much to everyone!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

I love fall for all of the colors and the sweaters and thick socks and hot tea and good books. I've never been a huge Halloween fan (except for when it comes to the candy--I'm all over that), but you don't have to like horror movies and costumes in order to get into Halloween. Scary books are much more my taste--you get all of the suspense and thrills, but you can take it at your own pace!

So, I recommend getting something hot to drink, dimming the lights (not too much), and grabbing that candy you had planned on handing out to the hyper trick-or-treater's, and curling up with on of these awesome books:

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

I can't think of a more perfect book for Halloween. McMann is such a talented writer and she's got the pacing, the suspense, and mystery down perfectly. This one has some genuinely creepy moments, but it also has romance and an interesting mystery and a heroine with some significant hurdles to overcome. I read it on Halloween last year and I LOVED it!

Frost by Marianna Baer

I read this one not too long ago, and it's perfect if you like subtly spooky reads. It centers around a house at a boarding school that four girls share. It's not dangerous ans scary in the way that you might think, so I recommend this one to readers who don't like scary surprises or anything the tiniest bit violent. Still, Frost will give you shivers!

After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

This is a quick, quick read you can finish Halloween night well before dark, and is about ancient powers and possession. I liked the romance and the scary forces and the atmosphere of the small Maine town in which the book is set. Jones and Wedel are a GREAT writing team!

The Poison Eaters by Holly Black

If you just want a taste of something a little darkly supernatural and short, then grab this collection of short stories from Holly Black. There wasn't a single one that I disliked, and Black has such a magnificent style that will leave you thinking about her stories for a little while, and just a bit unsettled.

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

This is another excellent choice for those who don't want something scary, but a little dark supernatural. Taylor is a spectacular writer and her stories are so affecting and magnetic. You don't want to miss this book. And if you haven't read Daughter of Smoke and Bone yet, then, uh, GO GET IT NOW!

I also recommend catching up on the TV shows The Vampire Diaries or The Secret Circle for some light, scary, but not-too-scary entertainment! And if you can't have those, then going back to classics like Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a definite must!

I wish you lots of candy and a safe, happy Halloween!

Prized and Caragh M. O'Brien!

2011-10-30T01:00:00.000-04:00

inPrized is the sequel to Caragh M. O'Brien's first book, Birthmarked! You can read all about Birthmarked here, and look for a review of Prized soon! Caragh was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions about her books and writing!

TCR: What was the hardest part about writing Prized?

CMO: First, let me say how delighted I am to be here, Tirzah! I’m so happy The Compulsive Reader is part of the blog tour for Prized.

The hardest part about writing Prized was trying to write a first draft while I was still teaching high school English full-time. To keep the thread of my ideas going daily, I would write during my 25-minute lunch breaks, and then stop wherever I was to go back and keep teaching. It resulted in a very unwieldy, unfocused first draft that was monstrously long, 450 pages of dog-rot, and I also messed crumbs into my keyboard, but once the draft was done, I was able to start chopping and hacking it into shape. Gradually the project improved, and after twelve drafts, I’m happy with the way it turned out, but I never want to write a first draft that way again.

TCR: What was the easiest part about writing it?

CMO: The easiest part was deciding to dedicate Prized to my editor, Nancy Mercado.

TCR: What was your reaction to the cover face-lift the series received?

CMO: The cover face-lift was fascinating to me. I know the art team at Roaring Brook went through dozens of covers for the hardcover of Birthmarked, so conceptually the series posed some significant challenges. An obvious one is that Gaia is badly scarred on her face, which makes it tricky to highlight the protagonist on the cover, but there are problems of mood, too, and trying to capture the feel of both the future and the backward, primitive conditions outside the wall. Tim Green of Faceout Studio has done an extraordinary job with the new look for the series. The covers are faithful to the novels and intensely inviting. When I first saw the monocle on the cover of Prized in real life, I was blown away, because it really looks like glass is hovering over the wooden background, like you could touch it. I’ve never seen an effect like it before. We’re working on concepts for the third book’s cover now.

TCR: When you sit down to write, what are your writing essentials?

CMO: I don’t need much. My computer. One of those lap desk things. A pillow under my right elbow because for some reason my right shoulder gets sore. Sometimes I need a blanket if I’m cold, and I like to listen to Grooveshark. That’s about it. If I need to, I can write anywhere in a notebook. Mainly, I just need to write.

TCR: What YA books have you read and loved lately?

CMO: Lately, I’ve really enjoyed Jacqueline Woodson’s Beneath A Meth Moon, which is due out next February, and Lauren DeStefano’s Wither. The first invokes the power of writing to heal, even when dealing with drug addiction and terrible loss, and the second is eerily creepy. They both stay with me.

Thanks so much, Cargh! And for those of you following along with the codes, here's the one for my blog:

Prized Code #7: A

Can't get enough of Prized and Caragh? Be sure to check out the chat that will be happening on Goodreads November 8th, 2011! Click here to view the page. It'll be happening all day long!

Shelf Discovery: Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

2011-10-29T16:59:00.000-04:00

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto was a book I found while perusing Ingram Advance, a catalog put out by our distributor, a little while back. I liked the title a LOT, because it's what happens before happily ever after that's really interesting, and then the cover is just so, so pretty! And of course, when I read what it's about, I was even more intrigued:

"Three years after her husband Max's death, Shelley feels no more adjusted to being a widow than she did that first terrible day. That is, until the doorbell rings. Standing on her front step is a young man who looks so much like Max–same smile, same eyes, same age, same adorable bump in his nose–he could be Max's long-lost relation. He introduces himself as Paolo, an Italian editor of American coffee table books, and shows Shelley some childhood photos. Paolo tells her that the man in the photos, the bearded man who Paolo says is his grandfather though he never seems to age, is Max. Her Max. And he is alive and well.

As outrageous as Paolo's claims seem–how could her husband be alive? And if he is, why hasn't he looked her up? – Shelley desperately wants to know the truth. She and Paolo jet across the globe to track Max down–if it is really Max– and along the way, Shelley recounts the European package tour where they had met. As she relives Max's stories of bloody Parisian barricades, medieval Austrian kitchens, and buried Roman boathouses, Shelley begins to piece together the story of who her husband was and what these new revelations mean for her "happily ever after." And as she and Paolo get closer to the truth, Shelley discovers that not all stories end where they are supposed to."

Doesn't that sound just so magical and mysterious? I am really intrigued by this one, and I'd love to read it.

What do you think?

Looking Ahead: Sara Wilson Etienne and Harbinger!

2011-10-27T01:00:00.000-04:00

Looking Ahead is a feature in which new upcoming books and their authors are featured! Take a minute to read the interview, get to know them, read about their book(s), and find them on the internet!

Today is a special feature of Looking Ahead! I have Sara Etienne here to talk about her new book, Harbinger, and she is also hosting a reveal of harbinger-inspired art! First off, here's our interview!

TCR: Can you describe your book in ten words or less?

SE: No! But I can get close… I actually do Haiku Reviews for books on my website, but I’ve never tried it with my own stories. So here we go…

Faye’s nightmares made real…
Bleached bones, tasers, bloody hands.
Who can she trust now?

…how’s that?

TCR: What has surprised you the most about the publishing process?

SE: How steep the learning curve is. The whole process feels a bit shrouded in mystery, so when you step into the elusive shadows of the publishing world, you can feel a little lost. The trick is to be brave and ask a lot of questions.

But I also have to say that I’m thrilled at how fun some of the stuff has been… getting blurbs from Tamora Pierce and Lisa McMann, ARCs, chocolate from my wonderful editor, Stacey Barney, and, of course, seeing the cover for the first time!

TCR: We love Tamora Pierce and Lisa McMann! That's awesome! What was your reaction when you saw your cover?

SE: *blink, blink*

I just stared at the computer screen… I was stunned! I admit, I fell in love, hard. It’s so unique and it captures the tone and world of Harbinger perfectly. I can’t even express how grateful I am to the designers at Putnam. I want them to have my book-babies.

TCR: Where can we stay up to date on what's going on with you and your book?

SE: You can see what I’m writing and thinking about at www.sarawilsonetienne.com. Or follow me on twitter @wilsonetienne

As for Harbinger, you should visit Faye’s school, www.holbrookacademy.com. There you can see the campus, report a friend for subversive behavior, and, starting today, you can unlock Harbinger-inspired artwork done by amazing illustrators in the Holbrook “Student Sketchbook.”

Follow the Path! Every Thursday the username and password for a new illustration will be revealed on a different YA book blog. That day, the location of that blog will be announced on www.facebook.com/holbrookacademy and on twitter: @HolbrookAcademy.

This week, you’ve come to the right place!

TCR: Indeed! Thank you so much, Sara!

And...here's today's password for the reveal!

All about Harbinger:

"When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn't expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she's going crazy. Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she's come home. She's even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.

Faye knows she's the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can't trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her - and the rest of the world too.

Rich, compelling writing will keep the pages turning in this riveting and tautly told psychological thriller."

Sound good? Unfortunately, it doesn't release until February 2nd, but you can win an ARC right here! All you have to do to enter is full out this form!

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What do you think? Is this one you're excited for?

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

2011-10-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

A year ago, Luna's mother was hit and killed by a taxi, and she's been grappling with the loss ever since. One day she visits her mother's studio and discovers her mother's phone, still plugged into its charger. On it, she finds seven unheard messages. Luna starts listening to them, and in doing so, discovers things she never knew about her mother and her parents' relationship. And throughout her investigation for the truth about the events the night her mother died and closure, Luna grows up and begins testing her own boundaries.

Stewart Lewis has written an engaging coming of age novel with a great concept. Luna's discovery of the phone is like recovering a lost piece of her mother that she never got to know, and everything she learns forces her to grow up quickly. Her voice sounds as if it should belong to someone older than fifteen years old despite her immaturity at the beginning of the novel. As the plot meanders along, she is introduced to her parents' world of fame, secrets, and the issues that come up with them. Luna is a refreshingly grounded narrator for the daughter of a famous director and model, though the book does get a little self indulgent when certain celebrities begin popping up throughout the book. Luna's romance with Oliver, the boy next door under extreme pressure from his own parents, is sweet and real for a first love portrayal, though Oliver's excuses for their relationship issues come across as a bit flimsy. However, readers will respond positively to the happy ending for the young couple. You Have Seven Messages is a good, quiet novel about one girl's pursuit for truth in life, love, and second chances, and a nice first book for Lewis. Keep an eye on this author.

Cover Comments: I adore this cover! The light and the big, huge open windows are gorgeous. I also love the way she is looking out--it fits the tone of the book very well.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Laotong Nights

2011-10-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

I know that I usually keep this blog strictly YA, but one "adult" book I've really enjoyed is Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. It was made into a movie, which comes out soon, and to celebrate the release and the amazing friendship of the characters, here are some tips on how to keep in touch with your long distance friends--something that is helpful as we all get older and move further away.

Growing up in 19th century China, Lily (Bingbing Li) and Snow Flower (Gianna Jun) are brought together in a Laotong friendship—a lifelong bond between two women who rely on each other for companionship and comfort. Amid the civil unrest and gender discrimination of the era, the pair deals with life’s hardships together until they are separated by marriage and childbirth. As sworn sisters, however, the women continue to communicate through the secret Chinese language of nushu, hiding their stories and messages within the folds of delicate silk fans.

Lily and Snow Flower had an intense friendship that lasted a lifetime. Nushu helped them communicate and remain close, even in distance. Everyone has that old friend they have known for a long time, yet find it hard to keep in touch. Both get busy with their separate lives and don't take the time to catch up with one another. In honor of SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN coming to Blu-ray and DVD Nov. 1, we've created a guide for keeping in touch with your besties, through whatever life may put between you. Here we share tips such as writing letters, Skyping and sending each other gifts in the mail.

Write Letters

There’s nothing like a handwritten letter to let someone know that you care and are thinking about them. Make a point of writing to your long-distance friend at least once a month, and giving them updates on what’s going on in your life, and asking what’s new in their life. If you’re so inclined, you can include photos or other small tokens of your friendship with your letters. This simple, heartfelt update will go a long way in making your friendship last.

Take a Trip Together
If it’s within both of your budgets, you and your bestie should take a trip together! Meet up in different places each year – places that are either meaningful to you both, or places that you two have always wanted to visit together. Have a weekend in Las Vegas, a week at the theme parks in Orlando, a glamorous trip to Hollywood, or a long, restful weekend in New England. Making new memories (or reliving old ones) will help keep your friendship vibrant.

Skype

One of the greatest inventions for modern day friendships is Skype. Making a weekly or biweekly “Skype date” can give you a chance to both talk to and see your long-distance friend on a regular basis. Best of all, Skype is free to use, even if you’re video-chatting someone internationally! Skype is great because, in addition to getting to hear your friend’s voice, you can also actually show them what’s new with you, or do something new together!

Start an Online Photo Album

There are so many different ways to share photos online these days, and you and your friend should take advantage of that! You can make a private album that only the two of you can access (you can do this on Facebook, PhotoBucket, etc.), and then you can both upload and comment on each other’s photos and keep up with what’s going on in each other’s lives.

Send Each Other Gifts

If you’re ever out shopping and see a little something that reminds you of your friend, or something you think your friend would love, why not send it to them? With USPS’ Flat Rate Boxes, you can send as much as you want to your long-distance friend for a small fee. Why not make a care package, filled with things you know they like (like homemade treats, or products specific to your area that they can’t get where they live)? If you exchange small gifts every few months, it will remind your friend that you’re thinking about them, and help you two stay friends forever.

What are some of the ways that you keep in touch with your long distance friends?

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King

2011-10-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Lucky Linderman has been bullied by Nader ever since he was seven years old. He deals with it by talking with his grandfather, a missing POW from the Vietnam War, in his dreams. The bullying comes to a head freshman year when Lucky's social studies project is misunderstood and gets him and Nader into a bit of trouble. Now it's summer, and Nader is out to get Lucky. His latest attack upsets Lucky's mother so much that she whisks him away to Arizona to visit his aunt and uncle, a trip that will change them both.

A.S. King has once again created a book that is a little weird and very readable. Lucky is a smart character and engaging narrator, and his frustration over the bullying and his parents' inability to do anything about it really takes a toll on him. He cares about the POW/MIA cause his grandmother was so passionate about and his father carries as a burden. He struggles to carry on the memory of his grandfather in his daily life, outside of the dream conversations they share and Lucky's many attempts at rescuing him.

Lucky learns a lot about his family during the unexpected trip to Arizona. At first it is just a struggle to get along with Aunt Jody, who is convinced that Lucky needs professional help, despite her blatantly obvious imbalances and issues. Throughout the ups and downs of living with his extended family and some late-night excursions with their gorgeous, mysterious neighbor, Lucky begins to see that no one is perfect, and everyone has their own shortcomings. He starts to understand how his grandfather's loss has affected his father, which in turn affects him every day of his own life. He realizes that in order to stop the bullying, he can't expect anyone to step in and intervene, but he must stand up for himself, and learns to find the courage to do so. His journey to this epiphany is painful, sometimes funny, unexpected, and complicated. King has written an excellent, important book about loss, bullies, the importance of standing up for yourself, and the complexity of relationships with a lot of heart and a touch of magical realism. Everybody should read this book.

Cover Comments: I like this cover a LOT. Very retro, yet it stands out. The lines like the target give it some depth that's pretty neat.

ARC provided by publisher.

A.S. King is also the author of Please Ignore Vera Dietz, one of my favorite books of 2010! Check it out!

Shelf Discovery: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

2011-10-23T18:07:00.001-04:00

I have seen snatches of this one all over the internet ever since I went to BEA in May, and a couple of weeks ago, we finally got The Night Circus in at the bookstore!

I read the first two chapters and was hooked instantly.

Here is a description:

"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart."

If that summary made you shiver in anticipation, know that the actual novel is ten times better and so, so engrossing. We have it on display front in center, and I keep stealing moments to read a few more pages. I can't wait to begin reading in earnest!

Plus, that cover is petty awesome, you have to admit!

What do you think?

Cover Talk: Keep Holding On

2011-10-22T11:39:00.000-04:00

I have been such a Susane Colasanti fangirl since I started this blog about five years ago, and I am so, so excited to share the news that the cover for her sixth book, Keep Holding On, has been revealed! And...I think this is one of my favorite covers (besides Waiting for You)!

The lockers, the way the girl is looking down, those awesome purple shoes...I just love it! Absolutely. Love. It.

I still haven't found a synopsis for this book (which is way frustrating, especially since that cover is making me go crazy with excitement) but what I have read is that it has to do with bullying, which is an important topic, and I'm excited to see how Colasanti handles it here!

What do you think of the cover? What's your favorite Susane Colasanti book (cover)?

Shatter Day!

2011-10-22T11:04:00.000-04:00

I read this book last week and it blew me away--SO awesome! Please check it out today!

Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen

2011-10-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

In the summer of 1929, Cordelia Grey is still suffering from grief over the loss of her recently re-discovered father, and the guilt on her inadvertent role in his death. She's eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a Grey to her brother Charlie. Letty Larkspur is reunited with her best friend, but dreams of the stage still entertain her thoughts, and she's not sure her long-time friend really values her anymore now that she has found her family. And there is nothing Astrid Donal would like more than to become Mrs. Grey, even if that doesn't seem to be what Charlie wants. Is she really ready to settle down and become mistress of Dogwood? Will each girl have the strength and courage to pull through and get what they really want as the Greys and Hales are preparing for war?

Like the prequel, Bright Young Things, and the books from her previous Luxe series, Godbersen has crafted yet another fast-paced book with alternating narratives, strong, interesting characters, and the most intriguing drama. Cordelia is so bent on proving herself and seeming like a strong, capable woman in front of her new love interest, Max Darby, that she pushes Letty away. Letty is feeling naive and out of place, but rejection only makes her more determined to succeed—no matter what the cost, at the risk of losing her friends. And Astrid has always appeared to be carefree and self-assured, but her relationship issues with Charlie confuse her, and in reality, she isn't really sure what she wants. All of these issues, nestled between the politics of the bootlegging business and the conflict between Cordelia's family and the family that killed her father, make for an intriguing, dangerous read. At time the girls' consciences do prickle a little, but they are easy to ignore in favor of the tantalizing pull of romance and glamour—something that will surely come back to haunt them later on. Beautiful Days is an entertaining, glittering read in which the stakes are raised, and the ending leaves you hanging with the certainty that something big is bound to happen in the third book, Lucky Ones.

Cover Comments: I love all of the pretty dresses on the covers of Anna Godbersen's books! While I don't think this one is as magnificent as some of her previous covers, I like the detail! So pretty!

Review copy purchased.

Looking Ahead: Eve Marie Mont and A Breath of Eyre!

2011-10-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

Looking Ahead is a feature in which new upcoming books and their authors are featured! Take a minute to read the interview, get to know them, read about their book(s), and find them on the internet!

It's no secret that I am a Jane Eyre fangirl, so when I saw A Breath of Eyre, I jumped up and down a bit in excitement! Here's the author, Eve Marie Mont:

TCR: Can you describe your book in ten words or less?

EMM: Gothic settings. Stormy weather. Brooding lovers. Dangerous secrets. One destiny.

TCR: What was your reaction when you first saw your cover?

EMM: The first thing that struck me was the model’s eyes—deep brown, direct, and so arresting—like Jane Eyre’s gaze. Add the sumptuous Victorian dress in that lovely violet color, and I was enchanted.

TCR: What has surprised you the most about the publishing process?

EMM: I know others have said the exact opposite, but I think the most surprising aspect for me has been the amount of time everything takes in publishing. Most people have no idea that the debut novel sitting on the shelf at Barnes and Noble most likely had a trajectory that looks a little something like this:

5 years ago: a glimmer in the author’s eye
4 years ago: a messy first draft that needed frequent naps and diaper changes
3 years ago: a hopeful toddler taking its first steps in the world
2 years ago: a crying toddler who’d taken one too many tumbles and rejections
1 year ago: a gleeful child who just got accepted into pre-school but has to agree to a total makeover
Today: a terrified preschooler hoping he doesn’t get beaten up on the playground

TCR: Where can we stay up to date on you and your books?

EMM: My website has the playlist & trailer for A BREATH OF EYRE, a quiz to discover your literary soul mate, and book-related events and news: http://evemariemont.com/. I blog (http://evemariemont.blogspot.com/) and tweet (@evemariemont) when I can, and I love to give away books and swag when possible. I also blog occasionally over at The Nightstand, a group blog for paranormal debut authors. (http://thenightstanddebuts.blogspot.com/) I hope to see you soon!

Thanks so much, Eve!

For the official summary of A Breath of Eyre, out April 1st, 2012, read below!

"Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…

Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…"

Check out this trailer as well!

I Support Shine

2011-10-18T16:57:00.000-04:00

You've probably seen this all over Twitter and the news, but Lauren Myracle was asked to withdraw from consideration for the National Book Award with her novel Shine because of a mistake on the part of the National Book Foundation.

Don't worry, you read that right.

When I heard, I was incredulous. Surely I was missing some piece of the story, because I couldn't believe that a respected organization would be so tactless. But, it's true.

Here's the Reader's Digest version: Shine and four other novels were announced as finalists, then two hours later, Chime by Franny Billingsly was announced as a sixth finalist. There have never been six finalists before. Then, it later came out that Shine was a mistake, and Chime was supposed to have been the fifth book.

(This is something to do with telephone-only communications on the part of the people picking the finalists and mishearing Chime for Shine. Whatever. I don't know hardly anything about how the NBF operates, but I pictured something a bit more upscale than a bunch of paranoid people whispering titles into the phone and not even bothering to confirm ISBN numbers, or even AUTHORS. Come on. The Cybils could teach ya'll a thing or two.)

So, now there is this really awkward situation. I can't even imagine how Lauren Myracle must have felt. But, whatever, mistakes happen and awkwardness is a part of life and we just DEAL with it.

You don't go making it even worse by demanding that innocent victims of your mistake fix it for you. Which is just what NBF oh so graciously decided to do when they asked Lauren to pull out to preserve the integrity of the award. Which, in my opinion, preserved nothing. It diminished integrity. But, Lauren Myracle is one classy lady, and she agreed...but not before she asked the NBF to make a hefty donation to a foundation that supports the causes she talks about in her books. I knew I liked her for more besides her writing!

What. A. Disaster.

My opinion on this is that everyone makes mistakes...the NBF made a big one. What they should have done was owned up to it immediately, apologized profusely, and then carried on, dealing with the ramifications. By asking an innocent author to fix it, and in such a tactless manner, disgusts me, and has hurt them more than just keeping Shine on as a finalist would have. I have a lot of respect for Lauren Myracle right now, and not a lot for the NBF.

What do you think about the situation? If you want to read a less sarcastic article about the issue, check out the NY Times coverage here. And if you want more snark and outrage and awesomeness, read Libba Bray's blog post about the debacle.

Beautiful Chaos Swag Giveaway!

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

I am a big, big fan of Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's Beautiful Creatures series! Every book is just brimming with magical lore, dark forces, and shadowy secrets and surprises. It's a fantastic, atmospheric series, and I am pumped for the third book, Beautiful Chaos, which comes out today!

You can click here to read my review of Beautiful Creatures, here to read my review of Beautiful Darkness, and read on to see what Beautiful Chaos is all about!

"Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending."

So, for this contest, you'll get a bunch of Beautiful Creatures swag to go with the book--including a Gatlin Public Library SIGNED bookplate, BC and BD pins, a bracelet, and a keychain! (Plus, as always, some other fun swag I have lying around!) You definitely want this prize!

All you need to do to enter is fill out the form below!

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Steal Alert!

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

I know that I blog a lot about Kindle deals, but I thought I'd take a moment and share some awesome print book deals! Check them out!

Revenge is Sweet: FURY Giveaway!

2011-10-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been so angry or so hurt, that all you can picture in your head are various acts of revenge?

It's okay to say yes. I think we all have revenge fantasies at times--we just don't always act on those impulses. Sometimes just imagining revenge can make you feel better--and that's where Elizabeth Miles' debut novel, Fury, comes in!

Fury is the story of two teens in Ascension, Maine who have made a few not-so-smart choices with huge consequences. When they begin seeing three beautiful girls--the Furies--they have no idea what sort of retribution is in store for them. I thought this was an excellent book, and you can read my review here.

Thanks to the generosity and awesome-ness of Paper Lantern Lit, I'm going to be giving away a pretty cool prize: a signed copy of Fury, a "Revenge is Sweet" tee (see the pic--isn't it great?), and you'll be a part of an exclusive chat session with Elizabeth Miles herself! Awesome, right?

So, here's what you can do to win this prize: Comment on this post! It's as simple as that! But, you can also get extra entries by doing a few other things, including...

Tweeting this contest with a link to this post and twitter handle (@compelledtoread)
Posting about this contest on Facebook, tumblr, or your own blog with a link to this post
Posting your own revenge story (true or not, and it can be anonymous)
Posting what question you'd ask Elizabeth Miles if you won a place in the chat session
Referring a friend! For every person you refer (make sure they let me know in the comments!) you get another entry!

Comment below and tell me what extra things you've done (either as separate comments, or one big one, it doesn't matter! I will count them all!) and you'll receive one extra entry for everything you do...you can get five entries easily, maybe even more!

This contest will run all the way until October 30th, and then the winner will be announced on Halloween! So fitting! Fury is a little creepy and is a perfect read if you prefer romance and suspense over slashing and gore!

Let the fun begin!

Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2011-10-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

From the author that wrote the Life as We Knew It trilogy, here is another striking book that will be hard to put down:

Willa knows that her family may not be perfect, but she considers herself pretty happy living in a modest home with her mother, stepfather, and two stepsisters. They all love each other and have a pretty good relationship—Willa never thinks about the abusive father she and her mother left when she was toddler. But he comes back into her life in a violent way when the police show up at her doorstep one day with the tragic and terrifying news that he has killed his new wife and young children...and is on his way from across the country with the intent to make Willa and her mother his next victims.

Blood Wounds is an intense, tension-filled novel that is as much of a suspenseful thriller as it is a family drama. At the very beginning of the novel, Willa's family is portrayed as a happy, busy, slightly stressed normal mixed family, with a few underlying tensions that manifest themselves in Willa's secret habit of cutting. The family's issues are put on the back burner as Willa's father is pursued and eventually stopped, but once he is, the family's drama explodes as the circumstances expose all of the lies, half-hidden truths, pent-up resentment, and hurt that every member has been harboring for years. Willa learns the extent to which her stepsisters' mother controls her life, and is finally open about the financial inequality between her and her stepsisters and how it upsets and affects her. Willa does stand strong in demanding to attend her half-siblings' funeral, despite her mother's objections, and she learns a lot about her parents' pasts and what might have led to the unspeakable tragedy that befell her family.

Through everything that happens to her, Willa remains strong, and in the face of near poverty, manages to do what she believes is right for everyone involved, The result isn't a rosy, serendipitous solution, and her family isn't completely content, but they are much more honest with each other and on their way to establishing an even stronger relationship. Pfeffer has created a complicated and thought-provoking novel where the bad guy isn't perhaps the most obvious character and the result is a story that will stick with you for a long time.

Cover Comments: This cover is just so chilling! The look on the girl's face is frightening, and the title written in the color of blood is very striking.

Digital copy purchased.