Book Expo America and reading YA books

So tomorrow I leave for NYC to attend BEA and hopefully meet some wonderful authors, publishers, publicists and other bloggers. To say that I'm extra excited is to downplay it. I'm very excited about getting my blog out there and promoting myself as an adult who LOVES to read young adult novels. To remove the stigma that may be attached to it. Hopefully with the advent of Harry Potter and Twilight, adults realize that categorizing books should be a misnomer. I've read some adult books that could've been YA books and vice versa. As I asked Susane Colasanti in my interview with her, why she thought the YA genre was exploding, she hit the nail on the head, it's a fantastic outlet and really appeals to many different types of readers. You have your paranormal type, your gritty, cutting edge type and your romance type. Sometimes it's all nicely wrapped up in one package.

Waiting on Wednesday (11) Thursday edition

Mine is a movie this week because I am DYING to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

Happy Memorial Day!!!

I just want to wish all of our veterans my gratitude to them for keeping me and my family safe as well as the world as we know it. Okay, I'm sitting outside, listening to some Muse and banging from the neighbor (which is okay), but I took a picture of the book Shiver that someone will win when I hit 200 people. I thought you'd want to see it enjoying itself outside in the gorgeous weather. And of course me in my Boston Red Sox hat. Yep, that is me! Trying to take my own picture. I suck at it, but for those of you, who'll see me at BEA, I'll look not so icky! :)

In my Mailbox (8)

created by Alea memefied by Kristi From Bloomsbury Sprout Darkwood Last week was a pretty busy week for books. This week should be slow, but then this weekend I'll be at BEA (Book Expo) where hopefully, I'll find some goodies. I hope all is having a relaxing Memorial Day Weekend

Peace, Love and Baby Ducks, Lauren Myracle

Publisher: Dutton Books Pub Date: May 2009 Age Range: 12+ Pages: 289pp From Goodreads: Growing up in a world of wealth and pastel-tinted entitlement, fifteen-year-old Carly has always relied on the constancy—and authenticity—of her sister, Anna. But when fourteen-year-old Anna turns plastic-perfect-pretty over the course of a single summer, everything starts to change. And there are boys involved, complicating things as boys always do. With warmth, insight, and an unparalleled gift for finding humor even in stormy situations, beloved author Lauren Myracle dives into the tumultuous waters of sisterhood and shows that even very different sisters can learn to help each other stay afloat. As an older and oldest sister, I completely understood the main character, Carly Lauderdale. Trying to be the one who sets the rules for the younger siblings can be tiring and annoying. However, when Carly goes away for six weeks on "fun enrichment program" in the backwoods of Tennessee, she starts to see a whole different world. A world where money and materialistic things are not important. That is until she comes home to a world where money, materialistic thing and looks are more important than say helping a needy child during the holidays. Another thing that has happened over the summer is younger sister, Anna, had developed into quite the beautiful voluptuous young woman. Carly can't understand how Anna can be so shallow. So begins a tale of two different sisters who try to make their own path in a world where the have and have nots at some point or another collide. Throw in a cute, inaccessible boy and mix in a boy one knows is the one our heroine should fall for and problems ensue. Carly's relationships with her friends suffer from her 'rules' and her views on the world. They think of things in terms of Neiman Marcus, Hair Extensions and Hard Candy Make-up. Carly's world revolves around music that makes her feel the world. Carly also takes issue with her school, Holy Redeemer, a christian school that shove suspect morals down their rich throats. I really enjoyed how the book was broken up into three parts. Peace, which is what Carly is looking for. Love, what every teenager must go through and Baby ducks which I can't really explain without spoiling. But you mix all those together and it makes for a heartwarming sister story where love, hate, and above all sisterly love beats all.

Contest, but not mine this time...

Sharon is so excited about going to BEA and being my roomie at the Marriott Marquis, she is holding a contest (click on her name to enter) to win THIS book: She too is trying to hit 200 followers, so if you follow me, go on over and follow her. You're in a for a wonderful treat!

Twenty Boy Summer Contest & Giveaway

Click here to enter: Twenty Boy Summer Contest & Giveaway Win: A copy of the ARC & a Swag Bag, including: Our version of the rare sea glass bracelet Frankie wears, Lia's signature purple journal, a beach bag, a post card from California, a shell from the beach, and of course Blue Frosting Flavored Lip Gloss.

One more week to go

and then my oldest daughter graduates high school. I've been frantic, neurotic, panicky, and just sad. My baby is graduating high school, WHERE did the time go? She'll be heading to college in the fall, another upsetting moment. She came home with her cap and gown yesterday and I lost it. Last night was also her Baccalaureate at the local church (do other schools do this too?) So this week (as well as BEA) there will be lots of work, panic, tears and breakdowns. And that's all on MY behalf. *sigh* Tell me everything will be okay?

A Challenge

Melsy626 won Along for the Ride and because I hit 58. Bookworm wins Peace, Love and Baby Ducks Melsy has been contacted. Bookworm e-mail me your addy. I will GIVE away a copy of Along for the Ride: BUT ONLY if I receive 50 responses to this post by 4:15 PM EDT C'mon people, you want to win? RIGHT If I get MORE than 50, I'll throw in a special book! it starts now!

Debutante 2009 Task

If you are a deb and would like your book FEATURED on this blog, with a review, guest interview and some crazy questions asked (like would you quack like a duck for a klondike bar, color your hair to get someone to buy your book), then here is the place to do it. I wild do TWO authors a day until it ends. So guys, want to promote your book, bring it on!

Added a CBOX!

So if you want to leave me an instant message, whether it be good, bad or ugly, please do so! I want to know what you think! My review of Peace, Love and Baby Ducks should be up by this weekend, then it's Strange Angels. I'm trying to get some reviews out of the way so I can have MORE contests! I only wish postage was free:)

Waiting on Wednesday (9)

I meant to schedule this and see what happens when I'm up WAY too early... craziness ensues! A Match Made in High School From Goodreads When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can’t get any worse. Then she marries her “husband”: Jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona’s long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer. Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes. Why I want to OWN this: I love the cover. I <3 Kristin Walker I was bummed they pushed it back. It would be a wonderful September release with school opening! I got to read an early copy last year and you guys will LOVE this story!

In my Mailbox (8)

Created by Alea and memefied by Kristi Okay, originally, I was going to stop this because it seems to create a divide, but my blog has been lacking readership lately. I sum it up because school is winding down and everyone is so very busy studying for AP tests, SATs, ACTs, preparing to graduate, etc. So here it goes. I'll try to remember what I've received. Last week I received from Little Brown two sets of Suddenly Supernatural Bks1-3 Yesterday I received Beautiful Creatures Soulstice GhostGirl (received today) GhostGirl: Homecoming (received today) From Scholastic Shiver A Map of the Known World Gentleman From Harper Teen The Amanda Project A few weeks ago The Summoning The Awakening Evernight The Body Finder I bought JR Ward's, Lover Avenged Fancy Nancy

Winner of Peace, Love and Baby Ducks is....

Please congratulate!!!! purplg8r Please e-mail me at lauram68-at-gmail-.-com

Bridget Fidget and the Most Perfect Pet, Joe Berger (review)

All Bridget wants is a pet Unicorn. I mean how difficult would a pet unicorn be? When a box arrives first thing in the morning, Bridget RACES out of bed and down the stairs because she just knows it's her pet. However, the box has yellow ribbons on it and she thinks that her parents won't mind if she opens it up. And of course, that leads to a Pandora box series of events. Lily really enjoyed this book. The pictures are bright and really convey the story really well. Bridget is a precocious 4 or 5 year old who realizes that opening a package that does not belong to you, is not necessarily the best thing. Especially, when you want a pet unicorn! 4 Lily Snuggles

Contest and this is a special one.

I have a set of the Suddenly Supernatural books 1-3. This contest is for ages 8-15. You WILL need parents permission (basically parents please sign up for your kids) Bloggers, if you have any friends or readers that fall in this age group, please tell them about this amazing contest. All they have to do is leave a comment that they the set. There will be one winner and a second winner for Book 3 (Books 1 & 2 are allocated). So that's all you have to do! I'll have this contest run until May 23, 2009. I'm sorry but it's US only. If you under 18 PLEASE have a parent also okay that you can enter this contest! It is important that parents know!!!!

Contest: Put Twenty Boy Summer on the Map!

Twenty Boy Summer has escaped from its boxes before the official June 1 release date and has already been spotted in the wild at a bookstore near Buffalo, NY. Author Sarah Ockler is hosting a contest to track sightings of TBS all over the country. Now through June 30, if you spot her book in a bookstore or library, you can enter to win a cool TBS Beach Prize Pack! Guidelines: 1. Take a picture or video of Twenty Boy Summer on the shelves in the store, kiosk, or library 2. Email it with your first name, store/library name, and the city and state where it was taken to sarah (dot) ockler (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject "TBS Map Contest" 3. For an extra entry, take a picture or video of the book with YOU in it, holding it or pointing at it or singing to it or doing some other creative (but not illegal) thing :-) Pics and videos will be posted at SarahOckler.com along with a Google map showing all of the places Twenty Boy Summer has been spotted in the wild. The more times you find and document TBS in different stores and libraries, the more times you can enter! The contest is open to U.S. residents only. Participants under age 13 must have a parent/guardian enter for them. Sarah will randomly select a winning entry from all of the entries on July 1 and will notify the winner by email. Good luck and happy book hunting!

Maggie Steifvater--Shiver!!!!

Go Team Raving Pen! ;) This is pretty cool! (POST back to this link to join the group, we need to make it to 50 to win, I believe!) Maggie Stiefvater is having a contest here: A Better Way To Get a Shiver ARC Winner gets: - a signed ARC of SHIVER - 4 signed copies of LAMENT - and for each of the friends that you got to comment, a critique of the first 5 pages of any of their manuscripts. And if any single person manages to get over 50 friends to comment, I'll make it 3 ARCs of SHIVER and 8 copies of LAMENT. (With your help we can do this! Just copy and paste this entire post into your blog and then go comment on Maggie's blog that you did it for Team Raving Pen!) In Short the person who gets the most people to join there team by posting: 1. A picture of the Shiver Book Cover 2. A description of Shiver 3. A link to the pre-order page 4. Letting her know that they have posted and who they are posting for: HERE Team Goading The Pen and Ravelda have formed an alliance. Here is what you get if you join our team Raving Pen! Everybody on the new team is entered for a giveaway for an ARC of EYES LIKE STARS. Everybody on the new team shares the ARC of SHIVER, determined by random number. (Starting with #1 the first person reads and then mails to the next person on the list and so on. Last person on the list will get to keep the ARC) Everybody on the new team is entered to decide who gets one of 4 signed copies of Lament. (We are giving away all four.) Copy and Paste this post and post on your blog. Then go here: http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/105279.html And let Maggie know you posted for Team Raving Pen!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater... debuts August 1. Preorder today!

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

Beautiful Creatures From Amazon: There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere. At least, that's what I thought. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a curse. There was a girl. And in the end, there was a grave. Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything. About the Author Kami Garcia is a teacher and reading specialist with an MA in education, and leads book groups for children and teenagers. Margaret Stohl has an MA in English and studied creative writing under poet George MacBeth at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. They both live in Los Angeles, California, with their families. Beautiful Creatures is their debut novel. Why I want this book: It looks fricken awesome! I've heard WONDERFUL THINGS about it! The cover is amazing! Kami and Margaret are too cool for words! Purple, anyone!

Susane Colasanti Top Ten Myths Tour: Stop # 9

Susane Colasanti is stopping by today and does she have interesting things to say and she is giving away a signed copy of her new book Waiting for You! Myth #9. No one understands you. False. You are not alone. There are people who get you. They may not be your friends. You may not even know who they are yet. But they exist. People tend to keep pain to themselves. They cover up how they really feel so that they can blend in. That’s why it seems like everyone’s happier than you. They’re not. They hide behind fake smiles and tell you they’re fine so they can make it through the day. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s feeling your pain. Just know that we all do. On days when I felt so alone, I would wish for a soul mate to come into my life so I could finally feel like someone gets me. Even though it was hard all those years before I met people I finally connected with, I believed they would come into my life. That belief kept me going. Since then, I’ve learned that while everyone’s experiences are unique, we pretty much all go through the same things. Heartbreak, suffering, loss, humiliation, failure, regret. These feelings are universal. We are all connected in these ways, plus so many others that we don’t even realize. So people who get you are out there. Eventually, you will find them. 1.Is writing a lonely chore? Well, compared to teaching it’s very different. As a teacher, I was used to being surrounded by kids every day. There was no down time. Now that I work at home, I can take a break when I need to. So it’s definitely a more relaxing job. And yes, it’s lonely sometimes. I’ve always been a person who loves my alone time, but that used to balance out not even having a few minutes to myself during the day. Most days zoom by so quickly that I don’t have time to feel lonely at all. As long as I’m social at some point each day, I don’t feel lonely. 2. Why do you think the YA genre is exploding? When I was a teen, the selection of young-adult books was pathetic. There were only a few good writers getting published. In fact, the teen section in bookstores didn’t even exist! We just had a shelf or two in the children’s section. I’m so happy that teens today have an amazing variety of books to read. So many awesome YA authors are out there! I think the boom in teen books is a result of more authors choosing to write for teens, combined with the realization that teen readers are a hot market. It’s extremely important that people become lifelong readers, a habit that begins to form when they’re young. Therefore, it’s a socially responsible choice to provide more books for teens. Media is also a factor. The world is very different now. We can exchange information online in a way that was impossible when I was a teen, which makes promoting books a lot easier. 3. Do you ever feel like giving up writing? No way! I love my job! Plus, I’m just getting started. You will be seeing many more books from me. Please comment here to enter (US only) for a signed copy of her book WAITING FOR YOU. Susane Colasanti is the author of When It Happens, Take Me There, and Waiting for You. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from New York University. Before becoming a full-time author, Susane was a high school Physics and Earth Science teacher for almost ten years. She lives in New York City. You can find out more about Susane at her website, www.susanecolasanti.com.

Peace, Love and Baby Ducks Ends Next EXTENDED!!!!

I forgot to post this yesterday! I know you want a copy. So here's the plan: +1 if you leave a comment +2 if you get a friend to leave a comment (they MUST state you sent them) +3 if you follow me (Google Reader, just let me know you follow me there) +3 if you post this contest on your blog page (please come here and linky) +5 if you spam other blogs with this contest with a link back here *this contest is open to the US/CA only (funds are low)

Reading...

I'm currently NOT reading Shadowed Summer because a book that I've been waiting a year for came out. However, the print is size 10 font, and over 500 pages. I'm struggling. I've bought a magnifying glass, to return it for reading glasses. Returned those because they were scratched, then bought ANOTHER pair, but they were too strong and giving me a headache. Returned those, to get another pair that were also scratched. So after returning my 4th pair, I have another pair that I will most likely return because they weren't the ones I wanted. AND they constantly seem foggy! I didn't realize trying to read was quite a chore lately! NOT HAPPY with this publisher for the small font!

Waiting on Wednesday (7) Thursday edition

The Body Finder, Kimberly Derting (No Cover Yet) From Goodreads: Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers. Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him. Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself. Why I want this book: First of all, can we can original story line? Plus Kim Derting is just the sweetest person ever and we are birthday mates and the same age! (sorry Kim!) Unfortunately, this book has been pushed back to Winter 2010 (which could mean Jan, Feb, Mar)

Winner of all 4 Books is WhatBri Reads

If you remembered I stated that I would pick one winner, or separate the books to 4 winners. But as I read some of the essays, one jumped out at me that I just couldn't ignore. I hope she doesn't mind my posting it here for everyone to read. I also had sent her an e-mail because she really opened my mind to this issue. I'd have to say my favorite book is Keeping You A Secret by Julie Anne Peters. There aren’t many books for GLBT teens out there, and I think this one is definitely one of the better ones. It’s about a girl, Holland, who meets a new girl at her school and starts to fall in love with her. But Holland has a boyfriend, and isn’t sure what to do. She decides to go after the girl, but has to hide it so that her peers and mom don’t find out. But then they do, and, well it’s a great story. Julie Anne Peters is also one of my favorite authors, because of how she writes and the topic she writes on. All of her books have to do with GLBT teens in some way, and I think that’s great. I definitely look up to her, and we need more authors like her. Anyone who is GLBT and hasn’t read her books definitely should. I’d even recommend it to anyone who wants to see what kind of harassment and whatnot that GLBT people have to face in every day life. GLBT = gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered, if you didn’t know. :) Briana I sent you an e-mail, so send me your address and I'll mail them out!

Will Announce Winner on Wednesday

I'll announce the winner(s) of the 4 Book contest. Still reading through the essays! Thanks to all the entrants.

Happy May Day, All

I've got some big things in the wings, so I'm excited for that. I survived BEDA and completed my 30 challenge! I deserve something... or do YOU deserve something... hmmmm... Let me think and get back to you...:)