Review: The Duff by Kody Keplinger

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

When I first started hearing about The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger, I wasn't sure I'd like it. I wasn't sure it was the type of book I'd enjoy, so I kind of pushed it to the back of my mind. But, I kept hearing more and more about it, and everything I was hearing was positive, so when I had the chance to read it, I decided I'd give it a try. Big smile. :)


Reading the description of the book, a girl who gets into an enemies-with-benefits relationship to escape her problems, and then falls for him sounded like the high school version of a really cheesy romance novel, which I don't read. But The Duff has so much more than that to offer. It's about growing up, good friends, and accepting who you are.

Keplinger is a talented writer. Her characters are authentic and their reactions were always believable. Reading Bianca's thoughts totally brought me back to high school. When I would roll my eyes at her 'oh so witty banter' I had to stop and cringe because I've been there, thinking I'm so smart until an hour later when I think about how dumb I really sounded. (or listening to my little brother use the same arguments on my parents and thinking, wow... did I really sound that dumb?!)

I think the character I liked the most was Wesley. Not because he was the most likable character in the story, or anything, but because I actually liked him by the end. He is one of the reasons I was sort of avoiding the book. I didn't think I would ever like him, and when I started the book it reinforced that idea. He's a bit of a pig with a vastly over inflated sense of his own importance. But, as Bianca got to know him and started to realize that maybe he is a human being with a heart after all, I started to like him. He's got his own set of troubles, and while they don't excuse his bad behavior, it definitely makes his actions more understandable.

Bianca was also a wonderful character. She's more than a little cynical, but she's also fiercely loyal and protective of those she loves. She's a strong character made stronger by the fact that she doesn't really know how to handle everything that is currently happening to her. She does spend a little too much time trying to just run away from the problems, but we've all been there. I loved her realization toward the end of the book, and the message that 'duff' is a relative term and that everyone goes through the same self esteem issues at one point or another.

The only part of the book that I can genuinely say I didn't much care for was toward the end with Wuthering Heights. It just felt like a little bit too much, and I felt myself rolling my eyes throughout that whole section. The only thing that redeemed that passage for me was that Bianca herself acknowledged that she was being a little bit ridiculous.

Overall, it's a light, fun read with a surprising amount of depth and a cast of wonderfully drawn, very real characters.

Review: Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

* Disclaimer: I read this book through 1 ARC Tours.

Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin is the first book I think I've read where fairies play a predominant role. At least it's the first book that I can remember. So, I was pretty open minded about this one, the cover is attractive (I am especially fond of the way her hair looks, although it's harder to see online) and I'd heard some good things about the author and the book. So, I was excited for the chance to read this one. All in all though, I can't say I was thrilled with what I got.

This book is about Phoebe Rothschild and her unfortunate run ins with the Fey. The book begins with an aura of secrecy. In the beginning, all we know is that the fairies have sent someone to pretend to be human in order to gain contact with Phoebe, but their intention, although sinister in tone, is, as yet, unknown.

Phoebe ends up befriending Mallory, the fairy in disguise. (That makes me want to sing Elvis... You're the devil in disguise, oh yes you are...) And, I don't think Elvis is too far off. Although Mallory does seem to genuinely like Phoebe, it's obvious that ultimately, whatever evil plot the fey have cooked up with triumph.

I liked the idea of this book and the writing was stunning. There is no doubt that Werlin is a great writer. Emotions are clearly conveyed from the characters to the reader, and Werlin is able to give a great deal of insight into the motivation of characters with just a few words. I will be reading more by Werlin because I loved the clarity and beauty of her writing.

However, I felt that the words ordinary and extraordinary were incredibly overused. After a while, I felt like I was being beaten with extraordinary. Nothing like beating a dead horse. Seriously. No one I've ever met uses those words to describe themselves in everyday conversation, especially not like these characters do. I know people with incredibly high self esteem, over-inflated egos etc and none of them call themselves extraordinary, or talk about how awful it would be to be ordinary. They say things like amazing, awesome, cool, better than you, etc. I understand the significance of the word, because I've read the book, and there's no doubt it's important, but I feel like they could have arrived at exactly the same place by occasionally substituting ordinary with other words or phrases. Constantly reading about being ordinary vs. extraordinary was awkward and unnatural.

I also had a hard time relating to Phoebe. Part of it was this obsession with whether or not she is ordinary or could maybe be extraordinary, but most of it came from her interactions with Ryland; her secret boyfriend and Mallory's brother (fey and human.) He is the epitome of an abusive boyfriend and although he wasn't doing it because he is a crazy psycho, he was doing it deliberately to emotionally destroy Phoebe, which I kind of think is worse. Each scene involving the two of them made me incredulous that someone with so many loving relationships would allow herself to be locked into such an abusive relationship (although it does explain that she doesn't really have a choice, them being magic and all...) but they also made me sick to my stomach. No one should have to endure what Phoebe does and it severely limited my enjoyment of the story.

I can easily see where and why this book could become a favorite, but it wasn't one for me. I enjoyed it, loved the writing and will definitely be reading more by Werlin, but I didn't love the story itself.

Top Picks for 2011- Contest Craze

So, Princess Bookie is hosting a contest craze full of books and prizes and challenges and all that good stuff. I don't normally post about stuff like this, and I haven't, as yet, participated in any of the Waiting on book memes or things like that, so I figured that I'd add my comments this time.

She is asking for us to name our Top 5 books of 2011. I've run across enough 2011 releases lately that I'm willing to add what I'm waiting for. It should be fun. So, the top books I'm waiting for are:

1. Where She Went by Gayle Forman. The sequel to If I Stay, one of my favorite 2010 reads, this will be released in April and after the blog teaser tour a few weeks ago, I'm going crazy waiting to read this book.

2. Delirium by Lauren Oliver. I read Before I Fall this year and I loved it. When I realized Oliver was coming out with a second book, and a dystopian one at that, I was thrilled! It comes out in February.

3. Bitterblue by Krisin Cashore. I just finished reading Graceling and Fire and I loved them. Cashore is a great writer, and I've loved the world she's created. It's tentatively planned for April, but I'm not sure if that's official yet.

4. Cloaked by Alex Finn. I love fairy tale retellings, and I've enjoyed Finn's other modern retellings (Beastly and A Kiss in Time) There aren't a lot of retellings about the Frog Prince, and I'm pretty excited to read this one.

5. Entwined by Heather Dixon. As I mentioned, I love fairy tales and their retellings and The Twelve Dancing Princesses has been my favorite as long as I can remember. Plus, if you look on Goodreads, the cover for this one is beautiful.

So, at the moment, these are my 5 most highly anticipated releases of 2011. What are yours?

Review: Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Crank by Ellen Hopkins is one of the scariest books I think I've ever read. It's about a young girl who gets involved with 'The Monster'. Meth is, in my opinion, one of the scariest drugs currently on the market. It's insanely addicting and incredibly damaging. One of the reasons meth is so addicting is that the chemicals used to create this Frankensteinish drug completely obliterate and destroy the pleasure center of your brain, which means that meth becomes the only way you are able to experience pleasure.

Ellen Hopkins is an incredibly powerful writer. It's written in verse and the starkness of the prose is where half the impact lies. Hopkins doesn't need many words, but it's clear each word is chosen carefully for its impact. This book grabs you and never lets go. We follow Kristina, the good girl, through her decent into darkness at the hands of the monster. We watch as her life falls to pieces around her while she believes she's still in control and she only does it to have enough energy to keep going, but really, she can stop. It's like, no big deal. It's heart breaking to watch as it destroys her and brings her family members low with her.

I'm intentionally not going to say much about the plot beyond the obvious meth addiction, because I feel there is more of an effect, a stronger impact if you don't know what's coming beforehand. I respect that Hopkins doesn't pull her punches, and she doesn't sugar coat the truth at all. It is one of the reasons she is so frequently banned, but it is also why her books are able to reach so many people. When Hopkins is talking about Kristina's experiences with the drugs, her highs are high and her lows are low. Too many books skirt around the truth, they try to convince you to stay away from drugs by lying about how good they feel the first few times, and then turning around are trying to hide how detrimental the side effects are, because they don't feel like our young people can handle it. Hopkins does none of that. She tells it like it is and makes no apologies for it.

Reading this (and Glass) reminded me of the Idaho Meth Project. The images at the top and bottom of this post are part of this effort to educate our children about the dangers and horrors of meth. Idaho state is one of the top states in both meth production and teenage meth use, and around 50% of our inmates are there as a result of meth. They created the Idaho Meth Project to educate and dissuade, and studies are showing that it's working. Reading Crank and Glass reminded me of these ads. It's horrifying because it's real. I recommend checking out the site, that I've linked above and viewing some of the other ads they've produced. There are print ads, radio ads and televisions ads and all are horrifying. This project has been picked up by other states like Montana and Colorado and it's working. Meth usage is dropping. Books like Crank and Glass are just as effective in my mind, because they help to educate us on the true dangers of meth and what really happens when you involve yourself with the monster.

Speak up, Speak out and Speak loudly

I'll be posting my actual review of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson soon, but I wanted to share a few of the links from fellow bloggers who are shouting out about this Wesley Scroggins mess. I posted some of my thoughts, but I still fume about it every time I think about it. There's so much to be said on this topic, and most of it has been said at one point or another by different bloggers and authors from all over.

So, here is a list compiled by Natalie at Mindful Musings. I can only imagine how much time and effort went into contacting everyone and gathering all this information, and I thank her for it, because it makes it so much easier to find.

Bloggers Speak Out is a movement sparked by the recent article, "Filthy Books Demeaning to Republic Education" by Dr. Wesley Scroggins that was published in the Springfield, MO News-Leader on September 18th. In this article, Scroggins vehemently advocates the censorship of books in schools, and specifically requests that the following books be removed from the Republic school system: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. To show our support of these authors and to fight against book banning and censorship, we have decided to take action and speak out.

Below is a list of links of bloggers speaking out against book banning and censorship--in the form of giveaways, posts, and reviews. Some are "officially" participating in what we're calling Bloggers Speak Out, and others are posts that we've found around the blogosphere. If you get time, you should definitely check them out!

Giveaways of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

**All giveaways will end on 10/3, unless otherwise noted**

Papercut Reviews

Braintasia Books

Escape through the Pages

Tina's Book Reviews

Sea of Pages

Mrs. Deraps Reads

Moonlight Book Reviews

Cari's Book Blog

Just Your Typical Book Blog

For What It's Worth

Wondrous Reads (Ends 9/27)

Frankie Writes (Ends ?)

The Elliot Review (Ends ?)

The Bookologist (Ends ?)

La Femme Readers

Other Giveaways

**All giveaways will end on 10/3, unless otherwise noted**

-Lisa Schroeder: ARC of The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (Ends 9/23)

-Will Write for Cake: Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Slaughterhouse Five

-Mindful Musings (here): Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Slaughterhouse Five

-Teens Read and Write: Win The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

-Mundie Moms: Win Speak, Burned, Twenty Boy Summer, or The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Ends 9/26)

-Wicked Awesome Books: Win a "Filthy Books" Prize Pack

-Carol's Prints: Win Speak and The Mockingbirds

-Myra McEntire: Win Speak, Twenty Boy Summer, or Harry Potter

-The Bookish Type: Win Speak or Twenty Boy Summer

-Bea's Book Nook: Win Speak & an ALA Challenged Book (Ends 10/2)

-Sarah Ockler: Win a Wesley Scroggins Filthy Books Prize Pack (Ends 10/1)

Other Posts Against Book Banning and Censorship

Braintasia Books

Escape Through the Pages

As Told by Jen

Aine's Realm

The Compulsive Reader

Once Upon a Bookcase

Daily Dose

Speak Loudly Book Drop @ Late Bloomer Online

A Life Bound by Books

Red House Books

Frankie Writes

Michelle's Bookshelf

I Should Be Writing

The Undercover Book Lover

Punk Writer Kid

Lisa and Laura Write

Between the Covers

Another Book Junkie

Jenni Elyse

Eve's Fan Garden

The Ultimate Dumpees

Reading the Best of the Best

The Pirate's Bounty

Reclusive Bibliophile

Book Faery

Bloggers Heart Books

Book Swarm

Fantasy 4 Eva

The Ladybug Reads

The Lady Critic's Library

Emilie's Book World

Jacob's Beloved

Just Your Typical Book Blog

Maggie's Bookshelf

Basically Amazing Books

Novel Thoughts

Random Ramblings

Holes in my Brain

Readligion

Vision Quest Fail

Shelby Barwood

Supernatural Snark

Consumed by Books

Ann Marie Gamble

The Darker Side of the Fire

Katie's Book Blog

Sassymonkey (BlogHer)

GreenBeanTeenQueen

Jessica Lei

Maria Romana

Abby Minard

The Mimosa Stimulus

Books and Things

Beyond the Trestle

Authors Speak Out

Laurie Halse Anderson: This guy thinks Speak is pornographic

Laurie Halse Anderson: The power of speaking loudly

Author Gayle Forman @ Eve's Fan Garden

Author Saundra Mitchell @ Eve's Fan Garden

Karen Rivers

Sarah Ockler: I Speak Loudly for Speak

Sarah Ockler: On Book Banning Zealots and Ostriches

Author Laura Manivong @ Page Turners

Cheryl Rainfield: Fight Against Ignorance

Myra McEntire: Speak Loudly: In Defense of Laurie Halse Anderson

Andrea Cremer: Speak Out

Natalie Standiford on Censorship @ Emily's Reading Room

Important Articles on the Subject

"Filthy Books Demeaning to Republic Education" (the article that started it all)

Scroggins' Official Complaint to the School Board (PDF)

"Republic School Book Choices under Fire" (Springfield News-Leader)

Laurie Halse Anderson's Editiorial in the Springfield News-Leader

Sarah Ockler's Editorial in the Springfield News-Leader

Natalie @ Mindful Musings' Letter to the Editor in the Springfield News-Leader

Essay: Kurt Vonnegut's Thoughts on the First Amendment

Thanks to everyone who has spoken out about this. It's not something that will be going away soon, but it's something that we can fight a little better every day. We can make progress. We can make a difference. Speak out, and don't ever let anyone else do your thinking for you.

Today is the start of Banned Books Week. Let's celebrate those challenged books!

This week, September 25- October 2, is Banned Books Week. It is a "Celebration of the freedom to read." How great is that? There is a full week dedicated to readers and promoting the freedom for us to chose which books we want to read. But it's more than that. It's more than just celebrating our right to read. It's also about standing up to those who wish to limit our ability to do so. So many great and wonderful books, directed to all age groups are challenged or banned every year. Complaints are made regarding everything from violence and profanity, to sexual content and drugs. Perhaps the most common is 'unsuited to age group'. It's a catch all, one that I feel is used as a label with people don't want to admit the real reason they oppose the book. Although, I will say that I laugh when it's applied to certain books like My Sister's Keeper. Although it's true that a lot of young adults read it, it's marketed as an adult book. But, sorry guys, you 30, 40, 50+ can't read it, because it's actually unsuitable for your age. Seriously people, come on.

As I've mentioned and I'm sure you've noticed, censorship is something that really bothers me. I don't like it when people think they are more entitled to make a decision about what I can or cannot handle reading than I do. What makes you the expert? And what gives you the right to decide that it's unacceptable for everyone just because you are uncomfortable with it. It makes me sad and angry and upset and conflicted and all sorts of other things that are often hard to express. And, when something bothers me, especially if it makes me angry, I talk about it. A lot. I love that I now have this blog, which allows me to reach more people, share my thoughts and feelings with people all over the world. But, with the topic of censorship, I really feel like I'm preaching to the choir. Out of all the book blogs I've read and visited, not one has been pro censorship. The general consensus seems to be that it's perfectly fine to limit or censor what you read, what your children read, and what you allow into your home, it is never okay to expand that viewpoint into the general population. Or that it's fine to ask a teacher to offer an alternative reading option if you, as a parent or as the reader are uncomfortable with the subject matter, but that it is never okay to deny the entire class (and future classes) the opportunity to read that book.

Sometimes I feel like I'm going to be the next crusader. I'm going to hop onto my metaphorical white steed and crush the seeds and roots of censorship, injustice, and cruelty beneath my the astounding might and strength of my brilliant mind. But other days, I feel the only people I reach are those who already wholeheartedly agree with me. Book bloggers all over the world have been complaining about and railing against Wesely Scroggins and his offensive view of books all week, but I doubt any of that has changed his opinion. I actually doubt that he's even heard about most of it. He might have seen the article Laurie Halse Anderson wrote in response to his, because it was printed in his local paper, but has he seen the public outcry online? I doubt it. So, is it worth it? Does it matter?

Ya. It definitely does. But there is even more that we can do.

This banned books week, try to do something new that can spread the word farther. Donate a banned book to the library- public or school- that they don't already have. Write a (polite and non-inflammatory) letter to the editor for your local paper. Attend school board meetings where they discuss whether to ban specific books challenged by community members and share your thoughts and feelings there. And don't limit your activity to banned books week. This is an ongoing challenge across the world. It's not something that is unimportant during the rest of the year. If someone in your community challenges a book, stand up for it. Donate copies to students you think would benefit from it.

I'd love to hear what you are trying to do to combat censorship and promote freedom of expression. Feel free to leave me a comment or a link to a post telling me what you've done to try and end censorship.

Seriously?! How DARE you!!

So, I know that everyone has been talking lately about Wesely Scroggins wonderful article promoting book banning. (Spit) As soon as I read about it, I knew I was going to have to say something about it, because it makes me so angry and when I get this angry, I get a little bit irrational. Like, deciding I should fly to Missouri with my two 50 lbs suitcases and 2 carry-on items filled with copies of Speak, and Slaughterhouse-Five Twenty Boy Summer, distribute them to anyone on the street who looks like they want a copy, then head over to Scroggins office and laugh in his face when I tell him that I just handed out 200 copied of his filth to the members of his town. ... Ahem.

That's not practical. I don't have that kind of money, but boy do I wish I did. If I could make it rain banned books, I definitely would. I know that this little town of Republic, MO is getting a lot of attention right now, but this happens all over the place and every time, it makes me cry a little inside.

But, I'm not writing today to talk about banned books in general, although I am sure a post about that will come soon enough. I'm here today to talk about a book that I love. That I've loved since I first picked it up like 5 years ago. A book that I think could very easily make that difference in a person's life that let's them know they are not alone, that there are people who know what they are dealing with and that there are people who will listen and who will help. I'm talking about Speak. 

I will say that I feel a little bad for Twenty Boy Summer and Slaughterhouse-Five. They were called out in the same article but haven't been getting nearly as much attention as Speak. I haven't read Twenty Boy Summer yet, although I did just grab it from the library and I plan to read it this week (Thank You Dr. Scroggins) but I have read Slaughterhouse-Five and I thought the book was brilliant. But, I'm going to be just like everyone else and focus on Speak because what he said about that book is reprehensible.

I did read the full article, and I specifically looked at Scroggins reasons for believing Speak to be pornographic. I read it more than once, and do you know what conclusion I came to? He's either puffed up on his own self importance or he's the guilty party and is trying to cover up his issues with a public outcry against this wonderfully uplifting, moving and incredibly powerful book. I've read the book Scroggins. Have you? Have you really read it? Or does the word rape automatically make you assume that it's pornographic. Because, if that's the case, you might have bigger issues than just not wanting the upstanding citizens in your town to read this book.

But really Scroggins, when it all comes down to it, we get the last laugh. You do realize, do you not, that more people, especially those very high school students you want to protect are now going to pick up Slaughterhouse-Five, specifically because you mentioned the frequency of the f-word and the immoral scene behind glass. Sales of Speak and Twenty Boy Summer are only going to rise with the number of bloggers, authors and people upset by your small-mindedness. Just take a look around at all these book bloggers and others who are hosting giveaways of some variation of these books. That's helping to promote them. I don't know if you are even able to comprehend the amount of publicity you are giving these books because you spoke out against them. Now, everyone is speaking up FOR them, and when it all comes down to it, you are the one going to look the fool. How does it feel to have a huge population of very well read, very outspoken people fuming mad at you? Are you proud of yourself? Does it make you feel better to know that you are publicly condemning a book that has saved the sanity and emotional well being of countless young girls and boys?! If you don't believe me, view Ms. Anderson's website. She has a video link up, where she talks about the thousands and thousands of letters she has received from victims telling her that this one book saved them, brought them hope. I highly doubt that anyone who has been the victim of rape or any sexual attack would be writing thank you notes to the author of a book glorifying the action, or making it pornographic. It just wouldn't happen.

I'm going to say something mean now, so I need to be clear that it's not just directed at Scroggins, but to all those out there who believe they are more qualified to decide what I should or should not be able to read, or what you should or should not be able to read... I hope you choke on your own bile. 

I wonder if a book can sue for defamation of character...?

Apologies

I would like to apologize for a few minutes about how little I feel like I've been posting lately. It seems like I haven't been doing much with the blog, and I feel bad about that.

My laptop crashed a few weeks ago, and I've been trying since then to get it fixed. I thought I had it working, but then it crashed again, and when I took it to a repair guy, he told me that he was unsure what was actually wrong with it, and so he recommended that we should just wipe my hard drive. So, I said, Oh. My hard drive is the problem then? His response? I don't really know. It just seems like the best option right now.  Okay, seriously?! I think I need a second opinion. Anyway, I'm working on getting that fixed, but until I do, I might stay a little spotty.

I do have access to a computer at my family's place, which is how I've been online at all lately, but I don't like using it a lot, not to mention the fact that I'm competing with my whole family for time to use it.

So, again. My apologies for being less than consistent lately and I sincerely hope that things all work out soon! Thanks for sticking with me!

My 'thoughts' on The Hunger Games

I finished reading The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins a few days ago, and I've spent a lot of time deciding how I wanted to review them. I finally decided that I don't really need to review them here. Some one else, on some other blog, or maybe several other people have probably already said what I am going to say about them. My words are not going to entice some new reader to explore this series. With the amount of hype surrounding them, and the insane amounts of attention they've received, if you haven't already read them, I'm sure you have your own reasons for that, and what I have to say is unlikely to change your mind. However, I will probably write a review of them individually on Goodreads (and I will link them here once I have) for anyone who really wants to see what I think about them, and I am always available for discussion if someone is interested in talking about it with me.

So, what I've decided I will tell you briefly what I thought about them/my emotions reading each book. Then, I'm going to get to the point. I really want to talk about something I've noticed that seems to happen to widely read series of books.

I am going to say right out that I loved these books. All three of them. I read all three of them almost back to back ( I took a 3 hour break between Catching Fire and Mockingjay so that I could eat something and give my system a chance to level off because the adrenaline was too much and I was just about shaking.) I haven't been that involved in a book in a long time- where my whole body, my whole system becomes involved and invested in the story. I've gotta say, it's pretty intense! The first two were like one constant adrenaline high. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next, I was on the edge of my seat, dying to know what was going to happen. Mockingjay was different. It was much more subtle. I can definitely see where people were disappointed in the book, although I actually think it was a brilliant ending, and although I was a little bummed by the way a few things turned out, I also thought that it was almost exactly what would have happened if any of this were real.

Reading these books, and watching what happened among the fan base at the end has brought me to a decision about hugely popular, widely read series. Especially the final book of the series. And that is, if the words "highly anticipated conclusion", "the ending you've all been waiting for" or any variant on that theme are associated with your book, there are going to be people who LOVE it and there are going to be people who HATE it. If you are lucky, there will be a few people in between, but that's rather unlikely. As an author, and as a reader of the aforementioned series, you are just going to have to accept that. You might be one of those who hate the ending, or you might be on the other side, completely flabbergasted that there are people out here who didn't love the ending. Either way, you should probably just expect that.

We saw it a little bit with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. A lot of people loved the book. But, there were also a lot of fans who were really disappointed with it, especially the epilogue. There was too much information, or not enough, Harry talked too much, it was too easy, 'You killed who?!' etc. Not everyone was happy with the way it ended. We saw it in the extreme with Breaking Dawn. I've never come across so many readers who took a book so personally in my life. I cannot believe the number of people who acted as if Stephenie Meyer killed their dog (or cat, for those who prefer them). I've read some books that I didn't much care for in my time, but I've never once thought to make the attack personal on the author. But, more people that I care to remember personally attacked Meyer for writing such a bad book. Now, personal feelings on the book completely aside, that's uncalled for people. Really, it's just a book.

Anyway, we've seen it with other huge series, and now we see it with Mockingjay and the end to The Hunger Games. I'm sad that so many people seemed so disappointed in Mockingjay, but I can't really say that I'm all that surprised.

Blogfest Winners!

Alright. So, after a lot of counting and recounting and losing my place because people kept talking to me, I finally have the giveaway winners from my Blogfest contests!

This was an incredible experience for me and I'm a little overwhelmed by the response I received. It was incredible! I figured I'd have a lot of entries in my contests, because this was a big event, and a lot of people were involved, but I was not prepared for the 169 people who entered my Vertical Run contest, let alone the 366 who entered my "Wishlist Surprise". It's a little mind-boggling but makes me pretty happy. :)

I also was not expecting the number of new followers from this event! It's almost scary, and a lot humbling, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me feel pretty good. I've more than doubled my followers, and that makes me really want to do something extra special for you guys. (Stay tuned, because I'm thinking of a really cool giveaway, just for you!)

Anyway, what you are actually interested in here- who won my giveaways? Well, because this response I received from Blogfest WAY exceeded my expectations, I'm going to exceed yours! :) I decided to pick a second winner for my wishlist surprise giveaway, just because I can. :)

So, for my US giveaway- The winner of Vertical Run is Lisa, who blogs over at Once Upon a Chapter. I'm pretty excited to hear what she thought of the book, as well as anyone else who added it to their tbr this weekend.

For my international (and really super awesome, if I do say so myself) Wishlist giveaway, the two winners are The Book Vixen and Ashley at Book Labyrinth. I'm pretty excited, going through their wishlists and deciding what I'm going to send them and I can't wait to hear from them once they've received their package! If you are interested in what they are going to get, stay tuned. The Book Vixen has already told me she would be including this in a future IMM, and I will include a link to her post once it's live so everyone else can see what she received as well, and if Ashley is interested, I'll do the same for her!

Thanks again to everyone who entered my giveaway. I'm thrilled by the response, I found a TON of really great blogs that I'm now following (and very few are blogs that had followers as a requirement for their giveaway.) It was a great weekend, and I hope you had just as much fun as I have!!

Oh, and just in case you're interested- I've added an astounding number of new books to my TBR shelf. Going through the comments you left me, with the titles of your favorites I saw a lot of great books. I kind of feel that if a book is someone's absolute very favorite (even if it is just for right now...) that it must have some merit. I know that not every book is for everyone, and there are some genre's that I just don't read, I tend to give a book more consideration if I know it's a specific someone's personal favorite. I was thrilled to see some of my favorites and books I just really liked included (Pride and Prejudice, The Book Thief, Harry Potter), and a great childhood favorite (The Girl with the Silver Eyes) that no one seems to know about anymore. I also saw a lot that have been on my TBR for a while that have now been moved up higher (Jane Eyre, Graceling/Fire, finally finishing The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and many more that I've now added to my TBR pile (Her Fearful Symmetry, The Hand that First Held Mine, Still Alice). Thanks again to everyone who participated in anyway, and I really do hope that everyone else's weekend went just as well as mine!

BBAW! First Treasure (and Blogfest Update)

I know I'm a little late getting this up, but today has been one of those days. And, I've never been very good about getting things planned far in advance... So- I'm posting this now.

The theme of Book Blogger Appreciation Week this year is treasure, and (of course) blogs are definitely the treasure. So, for Monday, they are asking us about our First Treasure, or the first blog we found or that influenced us to become bloggers. (Or at least, that's the way I'm choosing to interpret the question!)

So, this answer for me has two parts. The first blogs that I remember reading are written by Misty, at The Book Rat and April at Good Books & Good Wine. I knew them both from Goodreads and I always liked reading their comments and thoughts on books. I definitely think you should take a look at their blogs. I find that I generally agree with one or both of their attitudes about a book. So, while it's not a guarantee, I will usually add a book to my TBR if they really liked it. :) Their blogs were also the first time that I think I noticed that some people blogged specifically about books. I never thought I'd have a blog, so I didn't pay much attention to them, besides reading my sister's family blog so that I could look at the cute pictures she posted of my nephews.

Then, earlier this year, I discovered Lori's blog, The Next Best Book Blog. I also knew Lori from Goodreads, where she moderates a group I'm a member of- (can you guess what it's called?) Yup. The Next Best Book Club. She seemed to have a lot of fun writing for the blog, and I enjoyed visiting it. She asked me for the URL to my blog, and I decided to make one. My sister had been pushing me to create a book blog for a long time, and I was starting to give in. So, my sister was the driving force, but Lori was the catalyst. So thanks Lori! And if anyone else hasn't read her blog, I recommend doing so. She focuses a lot on fairly unknown writers, but she has a lot of author spotlights, a lot of giveaways, and some really interesting insights into books.

My Blogfest Update- The winner will come sometime tomorrow, hopefully in the morning. I had way more responses than I anticipated (THANK YOU SO MUCH!!) and it's taking me longer than I thought to sort through all the entries. (366 people for one, and 169 people for the other, without including the extra entries)
So, please bear with me, and I promise I'll update soon! Thanks again!!

BLOGFEST!! Giveaways!!- GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Hey everyone and thanks for stopping by! It's finally time for Blogfest, hosted by A Journey of Books. This is something that I've been excited about almost since I started blogging. I hope you've had fun stopping by everyone else's blogs, and that you will enjoy visiting mine! I'm still pretty new to this whole blogging thing (just reached my 3 month marker!) and I would love to hear what you think about my blog!


I have two giveaways planned for this weekend. They are open now, and will close Sunday, September 12th at 11:59 pm MST.


The first one will be open to the US only (sorry). A while ago, I review Vertical Run, a book I loved when I was younger. (Review here.) One of my friends who reads my blog saw that I loved it and found a copy of it while she was in a used book store. So, she grabbed it for me and brought it over. I was really excited, because I love the book, but... I already own a copy. (One that I've read many times). So, I'm giving away the one in better condition. Although it is in good condition, it's been read a time or two and there is a crease along the spine. But, the book is definitely worth it.


Fill out THIS FORM to enter!


The other giveaway will be open internationally, and will be slightly more complex... I will ship you a brand new book, probably from The Book Depository, although the actual site may change. In the form below, there will be a place where you can list some of your wish-list books. If you have a want-to-own list on Goodreads or Library Thing or Amazon or Barnes and Noble or a word document (etc etc etc) you can link that as well. Give me a list of books you would really like to own, and I'll see that you get at least one thing from the list. What I actually send to you will remain a surprise though, and then it can be like your birthday in a box. :)


Fill out THIS FORM to enter!


You don't have to be a follower to enter either of the giveaways, although it will help your chances. All extra entry options are included in the form. You are more than welcome to enter both giveaways, but you can only win one of them.


If you are participating in Blogfest, here is a link to a tracking site that will make it easier for you to keep track of which of the 250+ blogs you've already visited. Not only will it help you keep track of where you've been, every blog you check off on the site will enter you in a chance to win a great grand Blogfest prize!


So, thanks for stopping by my site, and entering my giveaway! Next on the list is Romance To Make Your Heart Race. It is a romance blog, and Wendi includes a content warning for only 18+, but if you enjoy romance (and are old enough to view the content) it's worth checking out! I hope you are enjoying Blogfest! Can't wait to see who wins! 

Review: The Invisible by Mats Wahl

I'm ducking my head in shame as I say this but... I liked the movie more than the book. And the movie wasn't even all the great (although I did enjoy it). And they changed a lot. But, I know why I preferred the movie, and I'll include that in my review.

What story am I talking about you ask? The Invisible by Mats Wahl. I'll talk about the book first...

The story itself had a lot of potential. The book starts with Hilmer going to class. It doesn't take him long to realize that no one seems able to see him. Then, a police officer comes into the classroom to announce that Hilmer has disappeared, and anyone with information should come forward. Hilmer is confused and concerned. He decides to follow the officer to determine anything he can about what is going on. He panics as he realizes that he can't remember anything from the day he disappeared. After that, other than a few disjointed, awkward paragraphs, we are no longer listening to Hilmer, and are instead following the police officer, Detective Fors, and it's his thoughts we hear.

Once we switch narrators, the book loses whatever momentum and appeal it had. There is absolutely no sense of urgency to the story. Everything meanders calmly from one place to another. This tempo is fine in certain stories, and at times, it can actually enhance the reading experience. But no one wants to read a meandering story about a boy who has disappeared and it is assumed that someone made him disappear. Every interview was the same- You are looking for the boy? - Yes, do you know anything? - No, can't say that I do. - Let me know if you think of anything. - Ok. - (SHORT TIME LATER, same person) You knew about this--seriously important piece of information--before?! - Umm, Yes... - Why didn't you tell me?! - I didn't know if it was important, and I didn't want to bring it up... It could cause unnecessary trouble, ya know? Don't make a big deal about it... It could be nothing. Wouldn't want to cause concern now and make the tourists think we were a bad sort, ya know?

None of the townspeople seem to care about this missing boy. Other than Fors, none of the police officers seemed overly concerned about it either, which is shocking because they suspect that someone killed him. It took forever for them to get the dog out to track the scent, and they made a big deal about sending anyone else out there to help. It just seemed ridiculous and bla. No one wants to read how unconcerned a town is when a local boy shows up missing, especially when all the information they have makes it pretty clear that it is very unlikely he would have chosen to leave on his own.

The book was dull, unimaginative and mostly a waste of time. It was originally written in Swedish, and some of the pacing problems I noticed could have come from the translation, but I'll never know and it just wasn't a great read. It wasn't horrible, there just isn't much to recommend the book. It's a great idea, with great potential but the book did nothing with either. This is probably the only time I will say this, but do yourself a favor and just watch the movie instead... (Lightning is now going to strike me down in my hypocracy, but seriously... It's worth it this time...)

I know that this is going to make me sounds ethnocentric, but I liked the movie better because they made it more American, and more something that I could relate to. The movie also focuses more on the missing boy, and we follow him as he desperately tries to figure out what happened to him, where his body is, why no one can see him, and what he could possibly do to save himself. They changed the actual motivation behind the attack as well as the reaction of his assailant, and they fixed the pacing problems. We actually care about Nick as a person (they changed his name.) and not just as Detective Fors' current assignment. Nick still can't remember what happens and is really confused. At first, he thinks he is dead and it takes him a little while to realize that he is still alive, somewhere. The scene with the bird when Nick realizes his body is still alive is one of my most favorites.

The movie really is quite a bit different from the book, but I can't help but think that each change is an improvement. I know I just committed like, the cardinal sin of being a reader/book lover, but I had a really hard time relating and being drawn into the book, but the movie was quite good, rather suspenseful and definitely kept my attention the whole time.

Have any of you read the book or seen the movie? Or both? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! (And please, don't hate me! I always prefer the book to the movie. I'm allowed this one time, right?!)

Review: Gay-Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji

Although I do really enjoy reading book lists, and various award winners, you can't always trust the committees who pick the books. Sometimes, you get a 'bad' on in the bunch. Gay-Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji is one such book.

 While not a horrid book, Gay-Neck is also not a book I would recommend or reread. I picked it up because it is on the Newbery list, and it is one of only two books thus far that I truly disliked. (The other being Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field.) It's been a little while since I read this one, so my memory of specific details, but the way the book made me feel is still pretty fresh. I was reorganizing my books for storage (sad, I know) and I saw this one, and decided to write my review now and get it over with while I was thinking about it. ...

The book is about a young boy in India who trains pigeons around the time of World War I. Gay-Neck happens to be one of his prized pigeons. Initially, our narrator is the young boy. Through him, we learn about the training procedures for carrier pigeons and what his life is like. Later in the story however, we get to hear from Gay-Neck himself as he goes off to war and a few other places as well. I have never been a big fan of animals being the ones to tell a story. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, I rather dislike that.

There wasn't much that I liked about this book. The writing never grabbed me, the story never interested me, and the characters never moved me. I don't know what I'm supposed to feel when a pigeon starts making eyes at this pretty lady pigeon, but I definitely missed that one.

I respect this as an award winner, because there are very few award winners that are so obviously set in, or about other cultures beyond America. Not to say that the book has no merit on its own, but I believe the glimpse into another culture played a large role in earning this book the golden sticker. I can't think of another Newbery book set in India or written by an Indian author right off hand, and it's always nice to be able to add a bit of culture.

Although I wasn't a fan of this book, I can understand why some view it as a distinguished contribution to children's literature, and I've even been told that there are people out there who truly enjoyed this book. I haven't met any yet, but I'll let you know if I do! I think that this is a book with a very limited audience, and sadly, one of the Newbery winners that has not stood the test of time well.

Friday again!

So, it's Friday once again, which means it's time to participate in the blog 'hop' at both Crazy for Books and Parajunkee's View. I have a lot of fun with this each week, meeting new bloggers and this week should be even better!

Jennifer asks us a question each week, and this week, she wants to know if we judge books by their covers. I have to say- Absolutely. While the cover doesn't often affect how I felt about the book itself once I've picked it up and read it, the cover is definitely a part of what makes me initially interested in picking the book up. If I think the cover is ugly or atrocious, I can't promise I'm going to try reading it.

What about you?! I'd love for anyone stopping by from the hop (or stopping by in general, actually) to leave me a comment, letting me know that you stopped by. And please, include a link so that I can return the favor! I love finding new blogs!

Also, this weekend, Becky at Escapism through Books is having a semi-personal read-a-thon and has invited us to join in. I need a little bit of motivation to actually start books right now, (I'm fine once I've started reading, but it's been hard for me this last week or 2 to find the motivation to actually pick up that new book to start. Hopefully, this will help!)  She's trying to work through her large TBR pile (and I can definitely relate to that!) and is using Labor Day weekend to get some reading done! If anyone would like to join us, head on over to hear site and link up! If nothing else, encouragement is always welcomed!! My goal is to get at least 4 books read this weekend. It's not a ton, but I don't want to push myself too hard right now. We'll see how it goes...!

Thanks so much everyone for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend!

Review: Firelight by Sophie Jordan

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Star Book Tours.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan is a unique shape-shifter/paranormal YA read. Instead of werewolves, vampires, fairies or angels, Jordan has introduced us to the Draki, 'people' that have evolved from dragons. They can shift between human and dragon form almost at will, but shhh! Don't tell anyone, because no one else knows. The humans who hunt the Draki don't actually know that they appear human most of the time.

Other than the actual premise (shape-shifting dragons) not much of this story is terribly unique. We have our 16 year old heroine, trying to find her place among her family and her pride (group of Draki). She also happens to be extra special, even for a Draki (because why would we want to read about a mediocre heroine?!) She is the first Draki is generations who has the ability to breathe fire, which naturally makes her pretty popular among other members of the pride. Pretty early into the story, she is uprooted from the only home, and the only people she has ever known, and has to try and fit into a completely new setting. She deals with a mother and sister who don't understand her and don't really try to relate to her. Then, there's the whole 'forbidden love' thing. Yup, she falls in love with a human boy. But more than that, he and his whole family are hunters. And more. You see where this is going?

Regardless of what that last paragraph sounds like, I actually really liked this book. A lot. I liked it in the same way that I really liked Twilight and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and this type of chick lit in general. I didn't read it to be 'literarily edified' or to read the 'best written book of all time'. I read it to be entertained, to read a good story, and to have some fun. Which, I did!

The writing was engaging and entertaining. The story begins with out main character, Jacinda, and her best friend going for an illegal flight as dragons. The rules for flight are very specific. Because they are hunted, they keep strict regulations on appearances as dragons and flying is only allowed at night. But Jacinda absolutely loves flying, and just can't resist getting in some extra flight time in the morning. Well, this ends up being a very bad idea. This lovely morning also happens to be the morning the hunters have come down, and it's all Jacinda can do to get her and her friend safely away from them.

I don't want to spoil too much of the story, because I really liked reading it without knowing much more than the basic premise (shape-shifting dragon, who is special enough to breathe fire, falls in love with dangerous human boy) so I won't say much more about the plot, but it's definitely an enjoyable read, well worth the few hours it took to read it. It's also a book where I enjoyed the actual reading experience more than I enjoy the book. (Does that make sense?!)

It's a pretty fast read, and one that, once I started, I didn't want to put down again. I think I ended up staying up until about 3am reading this one, because I really wanted to know how it ended. Sadly though, the ending was the worst part of the book. Not because it was bad, but because it was incomplete. This book is a planned series, and that is very obvious from the very unsatisfying ending. Jordan leaves a lot of ideas left unexplored and there are several story lines that are just left completely unresolved. It's made me incredibly anxious for the next book in the series to come out, and this one hasn't even been released yet! Sigh... It's going to be a long wait!

If any part of it sounds like something you are interested, or it's the style of book you normally like (YA paranormal/fantasy romance) then I definitely recommend you pick it up. It was an enjoyable read, and a story that I'll be following as it advances more. If you have read it, what did you think?

Giveaways-

I know I've been a little remiss about posting when my giveaways end, but I'm going to correct that soon. My contest to win Samantha Bee's book, I know I am but what are you just ended. I have sent out the emails to the 3 winners, and have given them 48 hours to respond. Once they have responded with their shipping address, I will post and let everyone know who the winners were. And, I will also include a short statement about the winners of my other giveaways also.

And, don't forget! There is still enough time to enter my next giveaway for a fun MG adventure story! Click HERE!