2010 July

Review: Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci

July 31, 2010 By Lori 7 Comments

Release Date: August 1, 2010
Received From: Publisher
Other Books by This Author: The Plain Janes, Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd, Boy Proof, See the full list Here.
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
IBSN: 9780545060790
Blurb:
Rose has given up. She’s given up on friendship, on happiness, on life being anything other than black, black, black. Yrena wants out. She’s a dancer who doesn’t want to dance, a prisoner in her own home, a resident of New York who never gets to see the city. To Rose, Yrena has always been the Russian girl who lives next door, seen through the window but never spoken to. At least not until Yrena crashes into Rose’s room-and Rose’s life-and sets in motion a night in New York City that none of them will ever forget. From YA superstar Cecil Castellucci, this is the story of cold hearts and cold wars warmed by simple human connection and the liberty of being young and free in the early hours of a new day

Rose Sees Red is a fast but compelling read. It really gets to the heart of people stuck in situations out of their control. The book takes place in 1982 in New York City. The Cold War is in full effect. Rose shares her neighborhood with people from the Soviet Union. The CIA and KGB are on every corner. That makes it a little difficult to see NYC and have a little fun. But when the Russian girl from next door pops in her window, they might just have to find a way.

I read this book in a few hours and had a lot of fun in the process. It was a wild ride through the streets of NYC in the middle of the night. At the heart of the story are Rose and Yrena. Rose has had some trouble with friends in the past, so she has decided to give up on them. Yrena has lived in New York for years and never seen it. Their connection and adventure will change their minds and hearts.
Rose was a great protagonist. She was just the right amount of reserved in the beginning and she definitely started coming out of her shell toward the end. Yrena just wanted to have some fun. I really felt for her the entire book. I had fun just because she did!

All in all, this was a exciting read! I love that it took place in 1982, but I didn’t realize this in the beginning. So I was a little confused, but it was no big deal. If you are looking for a fast, heartwarming read, I recommend this one!

Filed Under: Cecil Castellucci, Young Adult

Facts on Friday (18) Past Lives and Stalking..?

July 30, 2010 By Lori 11 Comments

I have a question: Have any of you ever stalked a movie set? The reason I ask is because, Mr. Robert Pattinson is going to be in my neck of the woods this weekend filming Water for Elephants. I have a pretty good idea of where Rob and Reese Witherspoon will be, but is it a waste of time? I’m not a huge RPatz fan but it would be fun to say I met him! Do you think I should lurk about? If you have any stalking advice let me know!
**Update: Nevermind. It seems I missed my opportunity.Rob was shooting his scenes this morning and is possibly leaving tomorrow. I probably wouldn’t have went anyway! My local news has turned into the paparazzi, they took a very blurry picture of Rob exiting his vehicle this morning in a hoodie!

Kirsten Miller author of The Eternal Ones has a really fun feature on her blog. You can send her a picture of yourself and she will tell you who you were in your past life! She posted my past life story on Monday. If you want more info on how it works go here!
And by the way, The Eternal Ones is a GREAT read!!

Somehow I keep missing out on the huge book giveaways and I would really like to participate! There are two coming up that I am all signed up for and I wanted to mention them in case you keep missing out on them too!

Kirthi at Pages is having a Green Extravaganza! All the giveaways will be posted on August 9th. Go here to sign up!

A Journey Through Books is also hosting Blogfest 2010. This one is going to be HUGE! Go sign up now!!

One last thing, I sent out another batch of Read-a-Thon prizes today! So some of you will be getting some books next week. The last batch will be sent out next Friday!

Filed Under: Facts on Friday

Interview with Infinite Days author Rebecca Maizel

July 30, 2010 By Lori 3 Comments

I’m so excited to have Rebecca Maizel on the blog today! Her book Infinite Days will be out next Tuesday, August 3 and I suggest all of you run out and get it! Really it’s incredible! It will be on my Favorites of ’10 list for sure! You can read my review HERE. In the mean time enjoy this interview!

How did the story for Infinite Days come about?

I started to free write one day. I literally sat down, started writing and Lenah’s voice came through, I let her tell the story and 8 months later, I had a draft of Infinite Days. I wish this story were more exciting. I should say something like, I fell down, cracked my head and when I was in the hospital, I had A VISION! A near death experience! But no, I was in a dark library free writing.

Lenah has to deal with a lot of grief and heartache; did you ever get emotional while writing these difficult scenes?

Yes, absolutely. I improv my characters when I’m still working out scenes. I act out entire scenes as a character, sometimes as the villain so that whatever happens in that scene is directly from the character. If I act it out the scenes, the reactions and behavior of my characters will feel real and organic. So yea, I definitely get emotional. I cried when I wrote the end. I didn’t even improv that, I knew exactly where the book was going to go and when I wrote that last sentence, I could see Lenah in my head.

Your book spans many centuries, what kind of research did you do about the different time periods?
Librarians are your friends! Reference librarians are even better friends! I spent months writing this book and I emailed a lot with reference librarians all over the world. Specifically, the librarians at the Carnegie Library in Girvan Scotland. They are some of the most generous people I’ve ever met.

If you could have dinner with any 3 authors (dead or alive) who would they be?

I love this question!

1. Alice Hoffman

2. JK Rowling

3. Judy Blume

Can you tell us one of your guilty pleasures? A book, movie, song etc.?

Coffeeeeeeeee.

And Grease 2 (I can’t believe I am admitting this in a public forum).

I can listen to Dave Matthew’s Crash Into Me about 40000000000 times ad nauseum.

Can you tell us anything about the sequel to Infinite Days, Stolen Nights?

I can tell you that at the back of the finished copy of Infinite Days are the prologue and first chapter of Stolen Nights! I was excited when I saw that!

A big big thank you to Rebecca!

To find out more about Infinite Days and Rebecca you can visit her website and her blog. If you want to pre-order Infinite Days (and I think you should!) you can do so here.

Filed Under: Infinite Days, Interviews, Rebecca Maizel

Cassandra Clare Chat!!

July 30, 2010 By Lori 2 Comments

Mark your calenders because next Wednesday, August 4th Cassandra Clare will be having a live chat and major announcement. There will also be a chance to win a Clockwork Angel pendant. Make sure you check it out! The chat will be held at www.Ustream.tv/SimonandSchuster

By the way, I’m almost finished with Clockwork Angel and it is AWESOME!

Filed Under: Cassandra Clare, Infernal Devices, Mortal Instruments

Review: Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

July 29, 2010 By Lori 13 Comments

Release Date: August 3, 2010
My Rating: 5 Star!
Received From: Publisher and LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Other Info: 2010 Debut Author Challenge
IBSN: 9780312649913
Blurb from Amazon:
“Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you…no one.”

Those were some of Rhode’s last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.

It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste.

Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.

I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn’t Rhode.

But Justin was…daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.

I never expected to be sixteen again…then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me…

Have you ever read a book and thought, “This is exactly what I have been waiting for”? You just didn’t know it. That’s the way I feel about Infinite Days. From 10 pages in I knew I was going to love it. That feeling solidified with every page I turned. And when I turned the last page, I wanted more. Right away. I wasn’t able to get Lenah, Justin, or Tony out of my head for days.

A part of me that I didn’t realize was there, was longing for some evil vampires done right in YA. I grew up reading Stephen King and Anne Rice, and although I love nice vampires, it’s good to see truly evil ones every once in awhile. Infinite Days alternates between present day human Lenah and the evil Lenah from the past. And there’s no doubt about it that she was evil! Maizel’s vampires are a work of art. Just when you think the world of vampires has been exhausted, something completely original like this comes along.

Lenah was a incredible protagonist. Her voice was so strong and clear. Her emotions were conveyed so well that at times it was absolutely heartbreaking. I became very attached to the secondary characters very quickly. Tony who was a bit quirky but had a huge heart, and Justin who loves Lenah unconditionally. Even Rhode, who we don’t get to see that much. It was almost impossible to not love him, because Lenah loves him so much.

The writing was brilliant. Rebecca Maizel’s words flowed so smoothly that that it’s easy to forget you were reading a book. My eyes were glued to the page. My only complaint, and a very very minor one, at times it was a bit repetitive. I’ll account that to the fact that there was so much information about the vampires to take in. Like I said, though, that is a very minor complaint. Maizel’s writing will suck you in and not let you go for days after you finish the book. Trust me!

Overall, I loved this book. Can you tell? It was exactly what I wanted in a vampire novel. You won’t find any fluff in it, or airheaded girls. This is a sweeping epic journey through history and a vampire’s emotions. Read it! I beg you!

Stop back by tomorrow for an interview with Rebecca Maizel!!

Filed Under: 2010 Debut Author Challenge, Rebecca Maizel, Vampire Queen series, Vampires, Young Adult

Waiting on Wenesday (47)

July 28, 2010 By Lori 17 Comments

I haven’t done a WoW since May!! I’ve got some catching up to do! So this week I’m featuring two books!!

January 25, 2011
Balzer + Bray

Emily Webb is a geek—and happy that way. She’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for parties. And she definitely doesn’t start fights or flirt with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that … the same night a classmate—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.

The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing this. Every night, she gets wilder until it’s not just her personality that changes; she’s also becoming strong, fast, and utterly fearless. Has she been bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely—something not human?

I think this sounds really original! I’m going to have such a hard time waiting on these 2011 books!

March 22, 2011
Simon & Schuster

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden’s eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

I don’t know about you but that one of the most gorgeous covers I have ever seen! Plus the premise sounds original! I can’t wait to read it!

Waiting on Wednesday was created by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Head over there to see more WoW’s!

Filed Under: Waiting on Wednesday

New Book Blogger Tips (3)

July 27, 2010 By Lori 24 Comments

I have been a little lax on my Book Blogger Tips in the last couple of months, but this time around I want to talk about something very important. Something that might happen to every book blogger at least once. Feeling utterly and completely overwhelmed. It’s happened to me, and I definitely learned from it! So I want to give you a few tips to help you get through it or to make sure this horrible condition doesn’t happen to you at all.

My first tip is Just Say No. Thankfully I never succumbed to this problem, but I can see how easy it would be to fall into it’s trap. Once your blog is established you will probably start getting numerous review offers from authors. If it doesn’t sound like something you will like, say no! I know the allure of an author/publisher being interested in you can be strong, but if you say yes to all or just too many books it will soon come back to bite you. That is, in less you are a speed reader!

Here is the thing that got to me. ARC Tours. They are wonderful! I love ARC tours! But it’s so easy to sign up for all those books you want to read, so you just keep signing up for more and more and more…Eventually I was getting 1 or 2 books every week from tours. I didn’t get to read the books I was buying anymore! Not only that but it can hurt your wallet mailing all those books. So my advice to you is: only sign up for the ones you really really really want! I’m not saying anything bad about ARC Tours! I really do love them, but you can get burnt out fast if you sign up for every one.

Here’s a tip that I am living by from now on! If you are receiving a good amount of ARCs Read Them As Soon As You Get Them! This is a mistake I’m not going to make again! You may ask, Why does this make a difference? I’ll tell you! For the month of July I had 12 ARCs to read. That left no time for other books. I of course love getting review copies but I had this bright idea to wait to read them until a month or so before the release date. This did not work for me. They just kept piling up until I have 12 to read in one month. So from now on I’m going to read them as soon as I get them. Even if it’s 6 months in advance.
I would really like to know what works best for you when it comes to ARCs?

If you are starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Like you books are taking over. Read a few books that YOU want to read. I know you want to read the review books, but sometimes that just gets a little stressful. So take a week or two off from review books and read those books you bought last month or last year! You will go back to the review books with fresh eyes!

Another thing that had me stressed was my Google Reader. I follow a lot of blogs and I really love commenting, but I was waking up every morning to 150+ new feeds. I have a small case of OCD so I must read or at least skim all of them. This was taking up a lot of my time. There was so many posts to read that commenting was incomprehensible. It was even cutting into my reading time! So I made the tough decision of cleaning out my reader. I didn’t stop following blogs, I just took them out of my reader. There were a lot of blogs of genres I don’t read that much of anymore and there were some that were inactive. Even though I took over 100 feeds off my reader I think I still visit more blogs than I did before. Without all the stress!
If your reader is stressing you out then do some cleaning! You don’t have to stop following these blogs. You can maybe visit once or twice a week.

If you have tried all of these things and still feel the weight of you TBR on your shoulders, then take a break! Blogging and reading aren’t your job! This is supposed to be fun! Take a week off or maybe more. Read what you want. You will be re-energized for blogging!

I hope some of these tips have helped you or will help you in the future! Just remember to have fun! That’s what it’s all about. Let me know if you have any tips to share!

If you want to see more tips:
New Book Blogger Tips 1
New Book Blogger Tips 2